*a* 


\V 


AN  ADDRESS, 


EMBRACING    THE 


EARLY  HISTORY  OF  DELAWARE, 


AND    THE 


SETTLEMENT   OF  ITS   BOUNDARIES, 


AND  OF  THE 


•^ 


WITH  ALL  THE  CHURCHES  SINCE  ORGANIZED 
ON  ITS  ORIGINAL  TERRITORY: 

DELIVERED  IN  DRAWYERS  CHURCH,  DEL.,  MAY  10,  1842, 

BEING  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTT-ONE  TEARS    SINCE  THE  SITE  OF  THE 
PRESENT  HOUSE  OF  WORSHIP  WAS  PURCHASED. 

BY  REV.  GEORGE   FOOT. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PRINTED  AT  THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  OBSERVER. 

1842. 


TO  THE  MEMBERS 


OF 


THE  DRAWYERS  CONGREGATION, 

THIS  HISTORICAL  ADDRESS  STOW  PUBLISHED. 

AT  THEIR  REQUEST, 
IS  AFFECTIONATELY    DEDICATED 

BY  THEIR 

PASTOR. 


ANNIVERSARY    ADDRESS. 


We  are  assembled  to-day  on  a  spot  long  since  hallowed 
by  the  tears  and  prayers  and  affections  of  generations  which 
are  now  sleeping  with  the  dead.  We  are  surrounded  by 
the  graves  of  those  who  once  worshipped  on  this  site  and 
reared  this  edifice.  Very  few  remain  among  the  living, 
who  can  remember  the  time  when  this  sanctuary  was  built. 
This  day  completes  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  years,. 
since  this  spot  was  chosen  as  the  site  of  the  house  of  God. 
On  the  10th  of  May,  1711,  Isaac  Vigorue,  Hans  Hanson, 
Andrew  Peterson,  and  Francis  King  purchased  of  John 
Peterson  one  acre  of  ground  for  this  purpose.  During  the 
same  year,  a  house  of  worship  was  erected  on  this  spot. — 
Of  the  men  who  engaged  in  this  work,  we  know  little  ex- 
cept the  names  of  those  already  mentioned,  who  purchased 
this  soil  and  who  also  acted  as  a  building  committee.  These 
fathers,  where  are  ,  they  ?  Not  one  of  the  men  who  reared 
the  former  house ;  not  one  of  those  who  ministered  at  its 
altar  and  within 'its  walls;  and  not  one  of  all  who  wor- 
shipped there,  survives.  The  very  materials  of  that  house 
of  God  are  mouldered  back  to  dust.  Unfortunately  for 
their  successors,  no  record  of  their  transactions  prior  to 
1732  remains,  except  a  solitary  fact  which  was  copied 
from  the  deed  of  this  property  and  incorporated  in  the  sub- 
scription for  the  erection  of  this  house.  It  is  a.  mournful- 
reflection  that  the  memory  and  the  very  names  of  most  of. 
the  early  worshippers  on  this  spot  have  perished. 


. 


4 

Whatever  of  wealth  or  of  honor  they  gained  :  whatever 
of  piety  and  devotedness  they  exhibited,  they  have  all  been 
forgotten  ;  and  the  clods  once  heaped  over  their  graves,  no 
longer  mark  the  spot  where  their  ashes  repose.  How 
many  warnings  and  appeals  have  been  uttered  on  this  spot ! 
How  vast  the  influence  of  truth  on  the  minds  of  the  genera- 
tions which  have  successively  worshipped  here !  How 
many  immortal  spirits  have  gone  hence  to  the  bar  of  God 
to  receive  their  final  doom  !  O !  could  the  departed  speak, 
what  scenes  of  seraphic  joy,  and  of  keen  and  hopeless  de- 
spair would  the  former  worshippers  on  this  spot  disclose  ? 
— But  the  tomb  from  which  no  message  ever  comes,  holds 
them  all  in  perpetual  silence  till  the  day  of  doom  shall  ar- 
rive. How  solemn  the  thought,  that  when  an  equal  period 
of  time  shall  have  passed  away,  others  will  hold  our  pos- 
sessions and  succeed  to  our  places  in  society,  and  in  the 
sanctuary ;  while  death  will  feed  on  us,  the  clods  will  cover 
us,  and  the  very  names  of  many  of  us  will  be  unknown  ex- 
cept in  the  records  of  eternity ! 

To  this  place  where  your  fathers  worshipped,  will  many 
of  you  look  back  as  the  spot  where  truth,  pointed  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  Eternal,  reached  your  heart  and  led  you  to 
God,  and  hope,  and  heaven  ;  or  where  the  Saviour's 
call  was  unheeded,  and  salvation  spurned,  and  your  ruin 
sealed. 

But  our  object  on  the  present  occasion  is  to  give  you 
an  outline  of  the  history  of  this  region,  and  especially  of 
this  congregation.  You  will  bear  it  in  mind;  that  it  is  no 
easy  task  to  gather  up  history  where  but  few  and  imperfect 
records  exist.  If  there' are  imperfections  in:  these  details, 
you  will  remember  that  it  is  the  almost  inevitable  result  at- 
tending" any  investigations  where  so  few  materials  remain. 

The  earliest  permanent  settlement  in  Delaware  seems  to' 


have  been  made  by  the  Swedes,  in  1637.  Christina,  Queen 
of  Sweden,  formed  the  plan,  and  sent  Peter  Menewe  as 
commander  of  the  colony,  in  the  ship  "  Key  ofCalmar."  This 
colony  purchased  the  lands  on  the  west  side  of  the  Dela- 
ware, from  Cape  Henlopen,  called  by  them  "Paradise 
Point,'1  to  the  Falls  of  Sanchickan,  or  Trenton. 

Prior  to  this  date,  the  Dutch  were  in  possession  of  the 
lands  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river.  Menewe  soon  died, 
and  Peter  Hollendare  succeeded  him.  The  Swedes  set- 
tled on  the  Christina  creek,  where  they  built  a  fort,  and 
called  both  the  creek  and  fort  after  the  name  of  their  queen. 
In  1638  Kieft,  the  Dutch  governor,  remonstrated  against 
the  building  of  the  fort.  In  1642  John  Printz  was  sent 
from  Sweden,  in  the  ship  Fame,  as  governor  of  the  colony. 
Two  other  ships  of  war  accompanied  him,  the  Swan  and 
the  Charitas.  With  the  emigrants,  at  this  period,  came  the 
Rev.  John  Campanius  as  chaplain  of  the  colony.  Among 
other  things,  Printz  was  instructed  to  persuade  the  Dutch 
who  had  settled  under  the  crown  of  Sweden,  to  remove 
farther  down  from  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Christina ;  to  con- 
firm the  treaty  with  the  Indians  for  the  lands  lying  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river,  from  Cape  Henlopen  to  the  Falls  of 
Trenton.  The  agents  of  Queen  Christina  had  purchased 
the  lands  from  Cape  May  to  Raccoon  creek,  nearly  oppo- 
site Marcus  Hook,  and  the  English  had  settled  on  Fer- 
ken's  creek,  (now  Salem.)  Printz  was  directed  to  treat 
these  English  kindly,  and  in  order  to  unite  them  with  the 
Swedes,  was  directed,  if  they  were  willing,  to  receive  them 
under  the  Swedish  government.  This  colony  at  Salem, 
settled  on  lands  purchased  by  the  New  Haven  company,  in 
Connecticut,  and  was  originally  composed  of  fifty  families 
who  removed  from  that  place  to  Salem  in  1640,  "for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  trading  houses  and  gathering  churches 

1* 


in.  Gospel  order  and  purity,"  and  in  close  combination  with 
the  New  Haven  Colony  in  all  their  fundamental  articles,  and 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  that  colony.  After  much  annoy- 
ance from  the  Dutch,  the  New  England  settlements. on  the 
Delaware  were  taken  under  the  protection  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  the  United  New  England  Colonies,  and  in  1664  the 
forces  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  assisted  Sir  Rob- 
ert Carr  in  subduing  the  Dutch  on  the  Delaware.  Gov. 
Printz  resided  at  Tinnicum,  (then  called  Tenackongh,  and 
also  Tutaenungh)  and  built  a  fort  on  the  shore  which  he 
called  New  Gottenburg.  Here  a  church  built  of  wood  was 
consecrated  by  Campanus,  September  4th,  1646.  The 
Dutch  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  interfering  with  the 
trade  of  the  Swedes,  they  erected  a  fort  at  Elsingborough,. 
which  was  called  Helsingborough.  This  fort  was  called 
Myggenborg,  or  Mosquito  Fort,  because  the  Swedes  were 
compelled  to  abandon  it  oq  account  of  the  annoyance  of  the . 
Mosquitoes.  After  the  erection  of  this  fort,  the  Dutch 
abandoned  the  fort  which  they  had  erected  opposite  Tinni- 
cum, called  Fort  Nassau,  and  in  1651  took  possession  of 
New  Castle,  which  the  Swedes  had  called  Sandhuken,  and 
erected  Fort  Cassimir,  the  remains  of  which  are  still  near 
the  bank  of  the  river,  a  short  distance  from  the  town.  In 
1652  Gov.  Printz  returned  to  Sweden.  Prior  to  that  date 
John  Claudius  Rising  had  arrived,  who  afterwards  became 
governor  of  the  colony.  The  Dutch  continually  claimed 
the  soil  of  Delaware,  and  in  1646  William  Kieft  and  his 
council  granted  to  Abraham  Planck,  Simon  Root,  Jan 
Andriesson,  and  Peter  Harmenson,  two  hundred  acres  of 
land  each,  on  South  river,  near  "  Bird  Island,"  (probably 
Reedy  Island,)  on  condition  of  their  settling  on  said 
lands  within  one  year.  They  also  promised  them  more 
lands,  provided  they  should  want  the??i,  on  condition  that 


they  should  build  houses  and  reside  on  the  lands.     But  if 
they  did  not  reside  on  them,  their  title  was  to  be  forfeited. 

In  1654  the  Swedes  "took  Fort  Cassimir  by  storm,  and 
expelled  the  Dutch."  They  improved  the  fort  and  called 
it  M  Trinety  Fort."  During  the  same  year,  however,  Peter 
Stuyvesant,  Governor  of  New  York,  sailed  for  Delaware  with 
seven  ships  and  600  or  700  men,  subdued  all  the  Swedish 
forts,  laid  waste  their  country,  issued  his  proclamation  per- 
mitting those  to  remain  who  were  willing  to  submit  to  the 
Dutch  government  and  carried  the  remainder  to  New  York. 
Thus  ended  the  Swedish  government  in  Delaware. 

Johan  Paul  Jaquet  was  the  first  Governor  of  Delaware 
under  the  Dutch.  He  was  succeeded  by  Peter  Alricks. 
When  Delaware  was  conquered  by  Sir  Robert  Carr,  the 
estate  of  Peter  Alricks  was  confiscated,  and  granted  to  Wil- 
liam Tom.  Alricks  was  the  ancestor  of  all  the  families  of 
the  same  name  in  this  vicinity,  some  of  which  have  been 
connected  with  this  congregation  during  nearly  the  whole 
period  of  its  existence. 

The  grant  of  Charles  II.  to  his  brother  the  Duke  of  York 
and  Albany,  made  in  1664,  conveyed  to  him  all  lands  from 
the  west  side  of  Connecticut  River,  to  the  East  side  of  Del- 
aware  Bay.  In  September  1664,  Sir  Robert  Carr  arrived 
in  Delaware  Bay,  and  took  possession  of  all  the  Dutch  forts, 
and  reduced  their  entire  possessions  to  subjection  to  the 
crown  of  England.  Delaware  seems  to  have  been  united 
with  the  lands  granted  by  the  crown  to  the  Duke  of  York, 
and  lying  between  the  Connecticut  and  the  East  side  of 
the  Pelaware  River,  by  conquest.  All  the  inhabitants  were 
conffrmed  in  their  possessions  and  privileges  on  condition  of 
their  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  King,  and  of  fidelity 
to  his  government. 

On  the  17th  of  May,  1667,  the  town  of  New  Castle  was 


incorporated.  The  English  laws  were  established  in  the 
town  and  on  both  sides  of  the  Delaware,  and  a  Sheriff,  to  be 
chosen  annually,  was  appointed  for  the  corporation  and 

RIVER. 

On  the  29th  June,  1674,  the  Duke  of  York  obtained  a 
new  patent  from  the  King,  for  the  lands  granted  him  in 
1664.  This  patent  made  the  Eastern  shore  of  the  Dela- 
waie  his  Western  boundary.  Two  days  after,  he  appointed 
Sir  Edmond  Andross  governor  of  his  territories,  which  were 
surrendered  to  him  by  the  Dutch.  Sir  Edmond  Andross 
purchased  in  1665  from  the  Indians  a  tract  of  land  extend- 
ing along  the  river,  about  eight  or  nine  miles  below  the  falls 
at  Trenton,  and  a*s  far  above,  with  all  the  islands  in  the 
Delaware. 

In  1664,  the  Duke  of  York  granted  to  Lord  Berkley  and 
Sir  George  Carteret,  the  Province  of  New  Jersey,  bounded 
on  the  west  by  the  Delaware  Bay.  Thus  it  appears  that  in 
all  grants  from  the  crown  to  the  Duke  of  York,  and  from 
the  Duke  of  York  to  Berkley  and  Carteret,  and  in  the  pur- 
chase of  lands  above  Philadelphia  from  the  Indians,  by  An- 
dross, and  also  in  establishing  the  office  of  Sheriff  of  New 
Castle  county,  the  Eastern  shore  of  the  Delaware  was  made 
the  line  of  Delaware  in  all  cases. 

Prior  to  the  arrival  of  Penn  in  1682,  the  general  court  at 
New  Castle  ordered  the  Sheriff  to  arrest  John  Fenwick,  who 
resided  at  Salem,  and  claimed  to  be  the  proprietor  of  one  half 
of  the  Province  of  New  Jersey,  and  to  bring  him  before  the 
court. 

There  is  a  record  of  a  trial  at  New  Castle,  in  which 
Robert  Hutchinson  is  appellant,  vs.  Thomas  Smith,  James 
Pierce,  William  Johnson,  and  William  Wayghtman,  Defend- 
ants. 

The  case    involved  a  claim  to  lands  lying  on  Cohanzy 


creek.  It  was  tried  in  the  court  at  New  Salem,  (N.  J.) 
Oct.  11th,  1680,  and  was  brought  by  appeal  to  the  General 
Court  at  New  Castle.  The  court  at  New  Castle  reversed 
the  decision  of  the  court  at  New  Salem,  Nov.  2d,  1680. 
This  decision  was  carried  by  appeal  to  the  Court  of  Assizes, 
in  New  York,  in  October  following.  (Transcribed  Records, 
Book  A.,  p.  176.)  Thus  the  fact  is  established  that  the 
territory,  and  even  the  court  at  Salem  was  under  the  juris- 
diction of  New  Castle.  In  1682  William  Penn  arrived  and 
took  possession  of  Delaware  on  the  28th  of  October.  He 
had  two  deeds  from  the  Duke  of  York :  the  one  conveyed 
to  him  the  town  of  New  Castle,  and  all  the  "  Land  lying 
within  the  compasse  or  circle  of  twelve  myles  about  ye  same,, 
with  all  Islands,  ye  river  and  soyle  thereof."  Another  deed 
conveyed  to  him  all  the  lands  lying  south  of  said  circle  to 
"  Cape  Inlopen,"  composing  the  two  counties  of  St.  Jones 
and  Deale,  or  Whooreskill.  The  first  q$  these  deeds  in- 
cluded Salem. 

Edmund  Cantwell  was  the  first  Sheriff  of  New  Castle 
count}',  under  the  government  of  William  Penn.  He  was 
also  high  Sheriff  under  Sir  Edmond  Andross  in  1676  ;  and 
in  1717  Rowland  Fitzgerald  was  the  high  Sheriff  of  this 
county.  The  descendants  of  Fitzgerald  resided  in  Tho- 
roughfare Neck. 

In  1659,  the  Governor  and  council  of  Maryland,  sent 
Col.  Nathaniel  Utie,  to  claim  in  behalf  of  Lord  Baltimore, 
the  lands  on  the  Delaware.  In  answer  to  this  demand, 
Stuyvesant,  Governor  of  New  York,  commissioned  Augus- 
tine Herman  and  Resolved  Waldron  as  his  ambassadors  to 
the  Government  of  Maryland  to  remonstrate  against  this 
claim.  The  Dutch  claimed  Delaware  on  the  ground  that 
prior  to  1623  they  had  made  a  settlement  called  the  Hoore 
Kill,  which  was  destroyed  by  the  Indians  :  and  that  in  1623 


10 

they  had  built  Fort  Nassau,  fifteen  leagues  higher  up  the. 
river,  and  on  the  Eastern  Shore,  and  that  many  other, 
places  had  been  settled  by  the  Dutch,  and  Dutch  Swedes ; 
and  that  they  had  purchased  the  lands  from  the  Indians. 

During  the  attempt  of  these  ambassadors  at  negociation, 
the  Governor  and  council  of  Maryland  presented  them  a  copy 
of  Lord  Baltimore's  patent.  The  ambassadors  very  shrewdly 
alledged  that  His  Royal  Majesty  of  England  had  granted  to 
Lord  Baltimore  lands  "which  had  not  been  seated  and 
taken  up  before,  only  inhabited  by  a  certain  barbarous  peo- 
ple, the  Indians." 

But  as  the  South  River,  called  Nassau,  and  by  the  Eng- 
lish Delaware,  had  been  taken  up  and  appropriated  long  be- 
fore by  virtue  of  a  commission  from  the  High  and  Mighty 
States  General  of  the  United  Provinces,  and  settled,  not  by 
Indians,  but  by  a  Christian  people,  that  therefore  the  grant 
of  Lord  Baltimore  could  have  no  reference  to  Delaware.. 
The  arrival  of  Sir  .  ^bert  Carr  in  1664,  and  the  surrender 
of  Delaware  to  the  forces  under  his  command,  put  this 
claim  of  Lord  Baltimore  at  rest  until  the  arrival  of  William 
Penn.  Then  the  claim  was  renewed.  The  Duke  of  York 
was  now  James  II.,  King  of  England,  and  this  claim  was 
referred  to  a  committee  on  Plantations.  In  November, 
1685,  this  committee  reported  that  the  land  granted  to  Lord 
Baltimore  was  such  as  was  inhabited  by  savages,  but  that 
the  tract  now  claimed  by  him  had  been  planted  by  Christians 
antecedent  to  this  grant.  But,  to  avoid  all  difficulties  on  the 
subject,  they  decided  that  the  peninsula  should  be  divided 
into  two  equal  parts,  by  a  line  drawn  from  the  latitude  of 
Cape  Henlopen  to  the  fortieth  degree  of  north  latitude. 

To  carry  out  this  decision,  commissioners  were  appointed 
to  form  a  map  of  the  country,  which  map  was  sent  to  Eng- 
land, and  made  the  basis  of  the   agreement  in  1732.     By 


11 

this  agreement,  the  centre  of  the  town  of  New  Castle  was  to 
be  ascertained,  and  a  circle  of  twelve  miles  drawn  around 
it.  A  due  East  and  West  line  was  to  be  drawn  from  Cape 
Henlopen  to  the  Chesapeake.  From  a  point  in  that  line 
equidistant  from  the  two  Bays,  a  line  was  to  be  drawn  north- 
ward till  it  should  so  touch  the  western  point  in  the  circle  of 
twelve  miles  as  to  become  a  tangent  to  it.  From  the  point 
of  tangency  a  line  was  to  be  drawn  due  north  to  a  point 
within  fifteen  English  miles  of  the  most  southerly  part  of  the 
city  of  Philadelphia.  This  agreement  was  not  carried  into 
effect,  and  Lord  Baltimore  petitioned  George  II.  to  make  to 
him  a  new  grant  to  lands  on  the  Delaware. 

In  1755  the  whole  subject  was  brought  by  the  Penns  be- 
fore the  court  of  Chancery  ;  and  in  1750,  Lord  Hardwick 
decided  that  the  agreement  of  1732  should  be  carried  into 
effect.  The  question  was  raised  whether  the  circle  should 
be  a  radius  of  twelve  miles,  or  a  Periphery  of  twelve  miles. 
The  chancellor  decided  that  it  should  be  a  Radius  of  twelve 
miles,  and  its  centre  the  centre  of  the  town  of  New  Castle. 
Other  difficulties  arose.  In  1751  the  chancellor  decreed 
that  the  radii  of  the  circle  should  be  measured  by  horizon- 
tal, and  not  by  superficial  lines.  Shortly  after,  Lord  Balti- 
more died,  leaving  his  son  Frederick  a  minor.  This  occa- 
sioned a  further  delay  until  1760,  when  the  agreement  was 
signed  by  him,  and  Thomas  and  Richard  Penn,  and  com- 
missioners were  appointed  who  were  directed  to  run  the 
"boundery  lines.  Several  fruitless  attempts  to  run  a  line  from 
the  given  point  so  as  to  form  a  tangent  to  the  circle  were  made. 
The  commissioners  finally  employed  Mason  and  Dixon,  who 
had  just  returned  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  where  they 
had  been  to  observe  the  transit  of  Venus.  They  succeeded 
in  establishing  the  line  between  Delaware  and  Maryland, 
which  has  since  been  called  Mason  and  Dixon's  line. 


12 

'On  the  9th  of  November,  1768,  the  commissioners  ratified 
their  map  and  plan  of  surveys  and  divisional  lines,  embracing, 
according  to  the  decree  of  Lord  Hardwick  the  chancellor, 
all  the  articles  of  agreement  made  in  1732.  Thus  the  claim 
of  Penn  to  a  circle  of  twelve  miles,  measured  bv  horizontal 
lines,  was  confirmed  by  the  commissioners  under  a  decision 
of  the  court  of  Chancery  in  England  in  1768,  only  eight 
years  before  the  American  Revolution.  (See  Landholder's 
Assistant,  p.  166,  172.) 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  Pea  Patch  Island,  then,  was 
given  to  Delaware,  by  decision  of  the  chancellor  of  England, 
in  1750,  and  ratified  by  the  final  settlement  of  the  Boundary 
of  Delaware  by  commissioners  in  1768.  The  act  of  the 
Legislature  of  Delaware  passed  in  1813,  which  ceded  that 
island  to  the  United  States,  provides  "  that  all  processes, 
both  civil  and  criminal,  issuing  under  the  authority  of  this 
state,  may  be  executed  and  served  within  the  place."  (Di- 
gest, p.  673.)  In  all  past  time  the  Sheriff  of  New  Castle 
county  has  served  his  processes  to  tide-water  mark  on  the 
New  Jersey  shore.  Moreover,  it  can  be  proved  that  the 
tenant  at  will  of  the  present  claimant  of  that  Island,  under 
the  decision  of  the  U.  S.  District  Court,  votes  in  Delaware. 

In  J  837  the  Legislature  of  Delaware  requested  her  sena- 
tors and  representatives  in  congress  to  recommend  a  retro- 
cession of  that  Island  to  Delaware,  or  to  adopt  such  other 
measures  as  should  enable  Delaware  to. maintain  her  just 
right  and  title  to  said  territory.  Any  decision  which  puts 
that  Island  within  the  jurisdiction  of  another  state  unsettles 
all  the  boundaries  and  jurisdiction  of  Delaware.  She  has 
not,  nor  has  she  ever  had  any  other  boundary  than  that 
which  made  the  Pea  Patch  a  part  of  her  territory. 

The  settlement  within  the  bounds  of  this  congregation  be- 
gan at  an  early  period. 


13 

In  1671,  Francis  Lovelace  who  was  then  Governor  of  all 
the  territories  of  the  Duke  of  York,  granted  a  patent  for 
300  acres  of  upland,  called  "  High  Hook,"  and  some  adjacent 
marsh  to  Jan  Sieriks.  This  farm  is  now  in  the  possession 
of  Jacob  Vandegrift,  Jr. 

In  1671,  a  patent  was  granted  to  Abraham  Coffin,  for 
400  acres  of  land  called  "  Mountain  JVec/c,"  and  the  annual 
quit  rent  was  four  bushels  of  winter  wheat.  In  1686  this 
tract  was  resurveyed  to  Johannes  De  Haes  and  Ephraim  Her- 
man. De  Haes  subsequently  became  the  sole  owner,  and 
willed  it  to  his  son,  Roelef  De  Haes,  in  1694.  Johannes 
De  Hoaef,  or  De  Haes,  was  a  member  of  the  first  Legisla- 
ture of  Pennsylvania,  held  under  William  Penn  in  1683. 
He  was  a  distinguished  man  and  a  native  of  France.  He 
was  a  maternal  ancestor  of  the  Janvier  family.  Roelef,  his 
son,  was  a  member  of  the  first  legislative  assembly  in  Dela- 
ware, after  the  Legislature  for  the  territories  was  established 
in  1704.  He  was  an  elder  in  Presbytery  (probably  from  New 
Castle,)  in  1713.  We  here  present  before  you  an  original 
likeness  of  De  Haes  which  has  been  preserved.  He  was 
evidently,  as  his  costume  shows,  either  a  knight  or  a  military 
officer  of  high  rank. 

This  is  the  farm  afterwards  owned  by  Thomas  Noxen,  the 
founder  of  Noxenton  Mills.  On  this  farm  Brigadier  Gen* 
eral  Caesar  Rodney  encamped  for  a  season  with  his  corps  of 
Delaware  militia  at  the  period  when  Gen.  Howe  landed  at 
the  head  of  the  Elk  River.  One  division  of  Howe's  army, 
under  the  command  of  Baron  Kniphausen,  passed  through 
the  present  boundaries  of  this  congregation,  and  encamped 
on  the  farm,  now  owned  by  Henry  Cazier,  on  Bohemia 
Manor.  Thomas  Noxen  belonged  to  St.  Ann's  congrega- 
tion, and  died  in  1743.  I  here  present  to  you  a  mourning 
ring  bequeathed  by  him  to  one  of  the  members  of  his  family, 

2 


14 

and  also  a  ring  presented  by  him  to  his  only  daughter,  Mrs. 
Frisbie.  This  Noxen  farm  was  owned  by  John  and  Henry 
Vanleuvinigh  in  1730.  Henry  Vanleuvinigh  is  called  Van- 
leud  on  the  records  of  this  congregation  in  1746.  The  farm 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Apoquinimy  also,  on  which  Schee 
Merritt  now  resides,  was  owned  by  Noxen,  and  was  called 
"  Walnut  Landing.""  There  was  a  wharf  on  that  farm,  the 
remains  of  which  are  still  visible. 

Below  this,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek  was 
another  landing  called  Whittit's  landing,  and  owned  by  Wil- 
liam Whittit,  who  was  a  trustee  of  this  congregation  in  1754. 
On  A.  Snow  Naudain's  farm,  and  directly  in  the  rear  of  his 
house,  was  another  landing.  There  was  another  landing  at 
Noxenton,  which  is  probably  the  landing  anciently  called 
"  High  Landing." 

Cantwell's  Bridge,  on  the  same  creek,  derived  its  name 
from  the  fact  that  the  General  Court  granted  to  Richard 
Cantwell  authority  to  establish  a  toll  bridge  at  that  place  in 
1731.  Near  it  resided  Abraham  Martin,  Treasurer  of  this 
congregation  in  1731  :  and  the  Legislature  allowed  Cant- 
well  to  take  one  acre  of  land  from  Martin  at  a  fair  valuation, 
as  the  site  of  a  toll-house. 

In  1675  Richard  Seays,  (called  See  on  our  records,)  sur- 
veyed the  Bennet  Farm,  north  of  Major  Vandegrift's  house. 
This  farm  has  been  owned  by  the  Alricks,  the  Andersons, 
Taylor,  and  Vandyke,  and  by  Dr.  David  Stewart.  The 
Seays  were  Huguenots. 

The  Gettons  were  also  French,  and  owned  the  farm  on 
which  Mr.  McMullen  now  resides,  near  Hickory  Grove. 

In  1 676  Garret  Otto  surveyed  272  acres  north  of  Draw- 
yers  creek,  below  the  farm  of  Dr.  Euler.  This  farm  is 
now  owned  by  William  Polk. 

In  1684  Amos  Nicholas  surveyed  300  acres.     A  part 


15 

of  this  farm  is  now  owned  by  James  Wilson,  and  was  once 
owned  by  Thomas  Hyatt,  an  Elder,  and  afterwards  by 
Peter  Hyatt,  a  member  of  this  congregation. 

In  1676  George  Ashton  surveyed  a  part  of  the  farm  on 
which  Major  Vandegrift  now  resides,  with  all  the  lands  lying 
east  as  far  as  the  western  line  of  the  farm  belonging  to  John 
Dilworth,  Esq.,  and  extending  north  to  Doctor's  Swamp. 

In  1678  Adam  Peterson  surveyed  200  acres  of  land,  the 
tract  on  which  Middletown  now  stands,  the  original  plat  and 
title  to  which  I  here  present  before  you  ;  and  in  1682  Hans 
Hanson  Miller  (otherwise  known  as  Hans  Hanson)  surveyed 
500  acres  adjoining  i\.dam  Peterson.  We  are  also  in  pos- 
session of  this  plat  and  survey.  1678  then,  was  the  earliest 
purchase  of  lands  at  Middletown. 

In  L682  the  court  granted  to-Edmund  Cantwell  and  Cas- 
per Herman,  200  acres  of  land  lying  on  each  side  of  Draw- 
yers  Creek,  "  for  the  use  of  a  water-mill,*  which  the  said 
Cantwell  and  Herman  do  intend  to  erect  on  the  said  creek 
for  the  publick  good  of  the  inhabitants."  (Records,  Book 
A.,  p.  190.) 

In  1686  John  Taylor  sold  to  Thomas  Snowding  of  Apo- 
quinimy,  170  acres  of  land  on  the  north  side  of  Second 
Drawyers  Creek,  lying  between  Taylor's  Branch  and  Snow- 
ding's  Branch.  This  farm  was  west  of  the  farm  of  Hon. 
Louis  McLane. 

The  Briscoe  family  was  at  New  Castle  in  1682. 

In  1685  Daniel  Smith  surveyed  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Abraham  Vandegrift,  called  Strawberry  Hill. 

In  1686  Edward  Green  surveyed  2000  acres,  called 
Green's  Forest.  A  part  of  this  farm  was  afterwards  owned 
by  James  Anderson,  a  Trustee  of  this  congregation  in  1754  ; 
and  has  descended  to  James  Houston  his  grandson,  who  is 

*  Probably  this  was  Cannon's  Mill. 


16 

now  a  Trustee  ;  Charles  Haughey  now  owns  a  part  of  this 
tract,  and  probably  Mount  Pleasant  was  a  part  of  it. 

I  have  given  you  these  dates  of  original  surveys,  that  you 
may  see  that  the  field  of  this  congregation  began  to  be  set- 
tled about  the  year  1671,  and  that  from  this  date  the  settle- 
ment was  made  at  various  points  of  our  boundaries.  From 
that  period  the  settlement  here  was  rapid.  These  lands, 
with  those  below  the  Apoquinimy,  seem  to  have  attracted 
strongly  the  attention  of  emigrants,  so  that  in  1683,  New 
Castle,  St.  Georges,  and  Apoquinimy  Hundred,  were  the 
only  subdivisions  of  territory  in  the  county.  In  that  year 
there  were  fifty  taxable  inhabitants  between  George's  Creek 
and  the  Apoquinimy.  Among  these  were  Henry  Walraven, 
who  owned  the  farm  adjoining  Samuel  Townsend  on  the 
East ;  John  Foster,  John  Taylor,  John  Peterson,  Hans  Han- 
son, Adam  Peterson,  Elias  Humphreys,  Judith  Crawford 
and  Peter  Alricks,  the  descendants  of  some  of  whom  are 
still  with  us.  Judith  Crawford  was  the  widow  of  James 
Crawford,  who  was  a  landholder  here  prior  to  1671.  Be- 
tween Apoquinimy  and  Duck  Creek  there  were  forty  taxa- 
ble inhabitants  in  1683. 

Drawyers  Creek  has  three  branches.  The  "  main  branch" 
rises  west  of  the  Forest  church,  and  crosses  the  road  near 
that  church.  There  was  also  the  branch  between  General 
Mansfield's  and  Charles  Haughey's  farms,  anciently  called 
the  "  Southern  Branch  of  2nd  Drawyers."  The  other 
branch  between  Mr.  Templeman's  and  Mrs.  Hanson's  was 
called  the  "  Northern  Branch  of  2nd  Drawyers."  The  St. 
Augustine  Creek  was  anciently  called  '•  Jl  rent  id  skill." 
Reedy  Island  has  been  called  Reedon,  Reeden,  R£eton, 
Reeten,  and  Bird  Island. 

Pearce's  Run  derived  its  name  from  Abraham  Pearce, 
who  owned  land  adjoining  it.     It  was  anciently  called  "  Ca- 


17 

noe  Branch."  The  location  of  the  Vandykes  in  Dutch  Neck- 
was  called  "  Berwick."  James  Burnham's  farm  was  called 
"Spring  Garden  ;"  General  Mansfield's  "  Axmister  ;  Charles 
Haughey's  "  Weston  ;"  and  William  Perry's  "  Poplar  Hill." 
'•'The  Trap"  has  had  that  name  more  than  a  century. 
Nearly  every  farm  had  its  own  name. 

In  1675  there  were  probably  but  three  churches  in  the 
present  states  of  Delaware  and  Pennsylvania.  On  the  re- 
cords of  the  court  we  find  the  following  order,  viz  : 

"  At  a  special  court  held  by  the  governor  at  New  Castle 
in  Delaware  River  the  13th  and  14th  dayes  of  May  1675, 
It  was  ordered,  that  the  church,  or  place  of  worship  in  this 
Town  and  the  affairs  thereunto  belonging  be  regulated  by 
the  court  here,  in  as  orderly  and  decent  a  manner  as  may 
be.*  That  the  place  for  meeting  at  Craine  Hoeck  do  con- 
tinue as  heretofore! — that  the  church  at  Tinnecum  Island 
do  serve  for  Uppland  and  parts  adjacent.}: 

"And  whereas  there  is  no  church  or  place  of  worship  higher 
npp  the  River  than  the  said  Island,  for  the  greater  ease  and 
convenience  of  the  inhabitants  there,  Its  ordered,  that  the 
magestrats  of  Uppland  do  cause  a  church  or  place  of  meet- 
ing for  that  purpose  to  be  built  at  Wickegkoo,  the  which  to 
be  for  the  inhabitants  of  Passayunk  and  so  upwards.  §  The 
said  court  being  empowered  to  raise  a  Tax  for  its  building-, 
and  to  agree  upon  a  competent  maintenance  for  their  minis- 
ter :  of  all  which  they  are  to  give  an  account  to  the  next 


*  The  original  church  at  New  Castle,  is  mentioned  by  William  Penn, 
in  a  letter  to  the  committee  of  the  Society  of  Free  Traders  in  London  in 
1683,  as  a  Dutch  Chubch. 

-j-  Craine  Hoeck,  afterwards  called  Tranhook,  lay  on  the  low  lands  op- 
posite to  the  old  stone  church  at  Wilmington.  The  stone  church  was 
built  on  its  present  site  about  1680. 

\  Upland  is  in  Chester. 

§  Wickegkoo  is  Wicocoa  above  the  Navy  Yard  in  Philadelphia. 

2* 


18 

general  Court,  and  they  to  the  governor  for  his  approba- 
con."  Signed, 

"  E.  Andross." 

The  churches  at  CraineHoeck,  Tinnicum,  and  Wicocoa 
were  Swedes  churches,  and  sufficiently  point  out  the  loca- 
tion of  the  Swedes. 

The  Dutch  church,  at  New  Castle,  was  probably  the  nu- 
cleus of  the  present  Presbyterian  church.  The  Episco- 
pal church,  in  that  town,  was  founded  in  1689.  We 
have  no  evidence  that  any  other  church  existed  earlier  than 
1698.  In  that  year  the  first  Presbyterian  church,  in  Phi- 
ladelphia, was  formed.  In  1700  Bishop  Compton,  of  Lon- 
don, sent  Rev.  Evan  Evans  to  Philadelphia. 

This  church,  then,  was  the  second  Presbyterian  church 
organized  in  New  Castle  county,  and  probably  the  second  in 
the  State.  There  was  a  minister  at  Lewistown,  (Rev.  Mr. 
Black,)  in  1708,  the  very  year  in  which  we  find  Mr.  Wil- 
son preaching  here.  Among  the  early  settlers,  in  this  vicinity, 
there  were  four  classes  : — 1st,  The  Swedes.  These  seem 
to  have  formed  but  a  small  portion  of  the  earliest  popula- 
tion. The  Petersons,  the  Andriessons,  or  Andersons,  and 
the  Pipers  belonged  to  this  class.  C.  Piper  was  secretary 
to  Charles  XI.,  King  of  Sweden;  and  in  1696,  he  wrote 
a  letter  to  the  Swedes  of  Delaware,  which  was  also  signed 
by  the  king,  and  accompanied  it  with  a  present  from  the 
king  of  1690  volumes  of  books,  which  were  sent  to  them 
free  from  charge.  Count  Piper,  you  will  remember,  was 
secretary  to  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden,  and  accompanied  him 
in  his  expedition  against  ancient  Muscovy,  in  his  attempt  to 
conquer  Peter  the  Great.  He  was  with  him  in  all  his  re- 
verses of  fortune  in  the  Ukraine,  and  in  his  flight  to  Bender. 
— (See  Life  of  Charles  XII.) 


19 

2d.  The  Dutch.  The  residence  of  the  Puritans  who 
landed  on  Plymouth  Rock  in  1620,  for  many  years  in  Hol- 
land, and  the  correspondence  between  those  who  came  to 
America  and  that  portion  of  the  Pilgrims  who  remained 
behind,  laid  open  a  field  of  enterprize  to  many  of  the  Hol- 
landers, who  soon  embarked  for  America.  The  Dutch  had 
previously  settled  in  New  York  and  a  part  of  New  Jersey. 
A  portion  of  these  emigrants  located  in  Delaware.  To 
this  class  belonged  the  Alricks,  the  Hansons,  the  Vande- 
grifts,  the  Van  Dykes,  the  Vanzandts,  the  Vances,  the  Hyatts, 
and  the  Kings. 

The  third  class  was  composed  of  the  French  Hugue- 
nots. After  a  most  unrelenting  persecution  during  the  26 
years  which  succeeded  the  massacre  on  St.  Bartholomew's 
day,  Henry  IV.  by  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  adopted  in  1598, 
gave  to  the  Protestants,  the  same  rights  and  privileges  and 
immunities  with  the  Roman  Catholics.  This  was,  in  fact, 
extending  to  them  a  full  toleration  of  their  religious  princi- 
ples. 

But  Louis  XIV.  deprived  them  of  these  rights  in  1681, 
and  attempted  by  armed  forces  to  compel  them  to  renounce 
their  Protestant  principles:  and  in  1685  he  revoked  the 
Edict  of  Nantes  and  gave  them  up  to  the  rage  of  persecu- 
tion. These  steps  drove  more  than  500,000  Protestants  to 
Switzerland,  Germany,  Holland,  and  England.  Of  these 
a  portion  settled  in  this  vicinity.  To  this  class  belonged 
the  Naudains,  the  Dushanes,  the  Gettons,  Laforge,  the  Bay- 
ards, the  Larrouxs,  and  the  Seays,  or  Sees,  the  Vigorues, 
and  Cannons,  who  settled  here  at  an  early  period. 

The  fourth  class  was  composed  of  the  Irish,  the  Scotch, 
and  the  English,  with  a  few  of  the  early  settlers  of  New 
England.  The  English  and  New  England  emigrants  first 
came  to  Delaware  with  Sir  Robert  Carr,  in  1664. 


20 

During  the  reign  of  Charles  I.  in  the  year  1641,  the  mas- 
sacre of  the  Irish  Protestants  occurred,  in  which  fifty  thou- 
sand were  inhumanly  butchered  ;  and  many  fled  to  the  North 
of  Scotland,  from  which  country  the  North  of  Ireland  had 
been  colonized  by  Protestants. 

The  act  of  uniformity  adopted  in  1662,  requiring  all  minis- 
ters and  churches  rigidly  to  conform  to  the  rites  of  the  es- 
tablished church,  occasioned  2000  ministers  to  dissent  and 
leave  their  pulpits.  In  1691,  the  act  of  toleration  was  pass- 
ed, during  the  reign  of  William  and  Mary.  The  act  of  uni- 
formity also  affected  Scotland  with  equal  severity.  But  af- 
ter a  period  of  rest  under  the  act  of  toleration,  the  effort  was 
made  during  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  to  repeal  the  act  of 
toleration.  These  difficulties  and  the  unsettled  state  of  af- 
fairs in  Europe  drove  many  of  the  more  quiet  citizens  from 
their  native  land,  to  seek  an  asylum,  and  to  plant  the  banner 
of  the  cross  in  this  inhospitable  wilderness.  Such  is  the 
outline  of  the  oppressions  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of 
this  church.  Some  of  the  men  who  laid  its  foundations  had 
left  the  fields  of  suffering  and  privation  and  bloodshed  in 
Europe,  to  enjoy  the  privilege  of  worshipping  God  accord- 
ing to  the  dictates  of  their  conscience.  Some  of  the  no- 
blest spirits  of  the  age;  the  Christian  heroes  of  their  time, 
laid  the  foundations  of  this  community  and  of  this  church. 

At  what  period  a  congregation  was  formed  in  this  vicinity, 
we  are  unable  to  decide.  Dr.  Read  says,  that  it  was  about 
the  year  1700.  The  Swedes  who  settled  here,  and  the  ori- 
ginal English  inhabitants,  began  to  locate  their  lands  as  early 
as  1671.  The  Crawford  family  connected  with  this  con- 
gregation and  with  the  Forest  church,  after  its  organiza- 
tion, came  to  Delaware  with  Sir  Robert  Carr  in  1664.  The 
Petersons  and  Hansons  are  known  to  have  been  land  hold- 
ers here  since   1678.     Henry  Walraven,  John  Peterson, 


21 

of  whom  this  lot  was  purchased,  Hans  Hanson,  one 
of  the  purchasers  of  this  lot,  Peter  Alrichs  and  Judith 
Crawford  are  known  to  have  resided  here  in  1683.  They 
probably  had  some  place  of  worship  at  an  early  period.  At 
that  period,  one  of  the  first  things,  after  the  settlement  of  a 
neighborhood,  was  the  formation  of  a  church.  The 
Swedes,  the  Dutch,  the  Friends,  all  established  their 
churches  almost  as  soon  as  they  arrived.  And  it  is  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  while  the  Quakers,  who  fled  from  the 
intolerance  of  Charles  II.,  had  their  church  at  Hickory 
Grove,  and  the  Welsh  Episcopalians  their  church  at  St. 
George's,  that  the  Presbyterians  had  their  place  of  wor- 
ship in  this  vicinity.  This  much  is  known,  that  in  1708 
the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  received  a  letter  from  per- 
sons residing  here,  respecting  the  ministrations  of  the  Gos- 
pel ;  and  they  ordered  the  Rev.  John  Wilson,  of  New  Cas- 
tle to  preach  to  this  people  "  once  a  month  on  a  week  day." 
In  1709  they  ordered  "  Mr.  Wilson  to  preach  at  Apoquin- 
imy  once  a  month  till  the  next  meeting ;  and  one  Sabbath  a 
quarter  till  the  aforesaid  meeting,  provided  always,  that  the 
Sabbath  day's  sermon  be  taken  from  the  White  Clay  Creek, 
their  time." — (Rec.  p.  12.)  Prior  to  1708,  the  congrega- 
tion at  New  Castle  included  White  Clay  Creek,  and  of  course 
all  the  intervening  country.  The  people  of  White  Clay 
Creek  during  that  year  requested  the  Presbytery  to  grant 
them  a  separate  organization.  This  the  people  of  New 
Castle  opposed,  in  order  "that  their  meeting  house  and  con- 
gregation in  New  Castle  may  not  be  damaged  by  this  rup- 
ture of  their  fellow-members  of  White  Clay  Creek." 

The   Presbytery  ordered    Mr.  Wilson    to  preach  on  the 
Sabbath  alternately  at  White  Clay  Creek  and  New  Castle. 
To  this   arrangement,  the  order  of  the   Presbytery  to  Mr 
Wilson  to  take  the  Sabbaths  devoted  to  this  congregation 


22 

from  the  White  Clay  Creek  people,  refers.  Mr.  Wilson 
undoubtedly  had  the  pastoral  charge  of  all  the  Presbyterians 
in  this  county  in  1708. 

This  congregation  may  have  been  gathered  by  Rev.  Na- 
thaniel Taylor,  long  previous  to  1700.  This  supposition  is 
rendered  probable,  by  the  fact  that  the  Taylor  family  were 
settled  here  in  16S3, — and  Mr.  Taylor  seems  to  have  been 
well  acquainted  with  this  section  of  the  country. 

This  church  is  known  to  have  sustained  the  preaching 
and  ordinances  of  the  Gospel  one  hundred  and  thirty-four 
years,  including  such  periods  of  vacancy  as  usually  occur ; 
and  to  have  employed  fourteen  ministers,  ten  of  whom 
are  known  to  have  been  pastors ;  and  two  others  may  have 
been  pastors. 

On  its  original  territory,  three  Presbyterian  churches  have 
been  formed  by  divisions  of  this  congregation,  and  also  three 
Methodist  churches  have  been  gathered. 

MINISTERS. 

The  first  minister  of  this  congregation,  of  whom  we  find 
any  account,  was  Rev.  John  Wilson,  who  was  directed  by 
the  Presbytery  in  1708  to  divide  his  labors  between  this 
congregation,  New  Castle,  and  White  Clay  Creek.  He  was 
one  of  the  original  members  of  the  first  Presbytery  orga- 
nized in  the  United  States.  He  died  in  1712.  His  family 
were  left  in  indigent  circumstances,  and  were  assisted  by 
the  synod. 

The  second  minister  was  Rev.  Robert  Wotherspoon,  who 
was  ordained  at  Apoquinimy,  May  13,  1714.  He  bought 
the  farm  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Boyd,  in  1715,  and  died  in 
May,  1718. 

After   the    death   of  Mr.  Wotherspoon,    the  Rev.   Mr. 


23 

Young  preached  to  this  congregation ;  but  whether  as  a 
stated  supply  or  as  a  pastor  is  not  known.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  synod  in  1718,  having  brought  credentials 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Armagh,  in  Ireland.  He  died  in 
1721. 

Rev.  Henry  Hook  is  supposed  to  have  taken  charge  of 
this  congregation  in  1722.  He  purchased  the  farm  on 
which  the  Widow  Hanson  now  resides,  in  1724;  and  re- 
sided in  Mrs.  Hanson's  house,  which  he  probably  built, 
one  room  in  which  was  formerly  called  The  Study.  He  died 
in  1741,  and  was  buried  on  his  farm  between  his  house  and 
the  public  road.  This  farm  has  remained  in  the  possession 
of  his  descendants  to  this  day. 

Rev.  John  Dick  was  ordained  November  12,  1746,  over 
New  Castle  and  Drawyers.  He  is  supposed  to  have  re- 
sided on  Mrs.  Boyd's  farm.  He  died  in  1747,  and  is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  buried  on  the  farm. 

Rev.  Hector  Allison  was  settled  in  1753,  and  remained 
until  1758.  There  is  a  regular  account  with  him  on  the 
Treasurer's  book,  from  1753  to  1758,  when  he  removed, 
The  congregation  seems  to  have  had  only  occasional  sup- 
plies during  the  next  ten  years. 

In  1768  Rev.  Thomas  Read,  (afterwards  Dr.  Read,) 
commenced  supplying  the  congregation.  In  May,  1768, 
Andrew  Bryan  was  chosen  "  Treasurer  for  Rev.  Thomas 
Read's  salary  money."  In  1772  "  John  Golden  was  chosen 
trustee  of  Rev.  Thomas  Read's  salary  money,  it  being  the 
first  year  of  his  stated  labor."  Mr.  Read  was  a  popular 
preacher,  and  the  congregation  was  probably  the  largest  in 
Delaware  during  his  minintry.  Prior  to  1772,  he  taught  in 
the  Academy  at  Newark,  and  preached  to  this  congrega- 
tion as  a  stated  supply.     He  received  the  degree  of  Doctor 


24 

in  Divinity  in  1796,  and  removed  to  Wilmington,  where  he 
settled  in  the  ministry  in  1797,  and  died  in  1823. 

Rev.  John  Burton  commenced  his  labors  in  this  congre- 
gation, in  May,  1804.  He  had  previously  been  minister  of 
St.  George's  congregation.  Thence  he  removed  to  Sussex 
county  and  took  charge  of  the  Cool  Spring  congregation,  in 
1795,  whence  he  came  to  this  congregation.  He  continued 
as  stated  supply  until  1822.  He  died  in  1825,  and  was 
buried  in  St.  George's  church  yard.  He  owned  the  farm  now 
known  as  the  Condon  farm,  south  of  Hickory  Grove  bury- 
ing ground ;  and  while  minister  at  Drawyers  lie  bought  the 
house  and  farm,  now  owned  by  John  Hays,  near  the  Forest 
church.  During  his  ministry  here  he  also  supplied  the  For- 
est church  a  portion  of  his  time.  He  was  a  learned  man, 
well  versed  in  theology,  but  exceedingly  absent,  and  some- 
times eccentric. 

Rev.  Joseph  Wilson,  from  Nottingham,  Pennsylvania, 
commenced  his  labors  and  was  installed  over  Drawyers, 
Smyrna,  and  Forest  churches,  in  1822.  He  afterwards  re- 
linquished the  care  of  the  church  at  Smyrna,  which,  since 
that  period,  has  become  extinct. 

So  much  had  Drawyers  church  declined  after  the  re- 
moval of  Dr.  Read,  and  so  rapid  was  the  decline  of  Pres- 
byterianism  in  this  region,  that  Mr.  Wilson  received  an  in- 
adequate support,  and  was  under  the  necessity  of  teaching  a 
portion  of  his  time.     He  removed  in  1830. 

On  the  1st  of  July,  1832,  Rev.  Nicholas  Patterson  com- 
menced preaching  in  this  congregation  as  a  stated  supply, 
and  continued  his  labors,  until  November  25, 1832.  During 
the  period  of  his  labors,  the  first  protracted  series  of  reli- 
gious exercises  was  held;  and,  as  the  result,  31  were  added 
on  the  4th   of  November   to   the  church.     This  was  the 


25 

largest  number  which  has  been  added  to  the  church  at  one 
time  during  the  entire  period  of  its  existence. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  1832,  Rev.  David  De  Forest 
Ely  commenced  his  labors  here  as  a  stated  supply  and  con- 
tinued 22  weeks. 

August  1],  1833,  Rev.  Warren  G.  Jones  commenced  his 
labors  in  this  congregation,  and  was  installed  November  21, 
1833.  On  the  first  Sabbath  in  September  in  that  year, 
eight  persons  were  added  to  the  church. 

January  12,  1833,  eleven  were  received  to  the  com- 
munion of  the  church ;  and  in  March  following  four  wrere 
admitted.  Mr.  Jones  closed  his  labors  in  the  congregation 
August  14,  1835,  and  removed  to  Connecticut. 

In  November  following,  Rev.  Charles  Brown,  of  Lewes 
Presbytery  was  invited  to  supply  the  pulpit.  September 
9,  1837,  he  received  a  unanimous  call,  and  was  installed 
October  21,  of  the  same  year.  On  the  22d  of  May,  1839, 
Mr.  Brown  resigned  his  charge.  On  the  23d  of  June  fol- 
lowing, the  congregation  unanimously  resolved  to  call  the 
present  pastor,  Rev.  George  Foot,  who  was  installed  on  the 
18th  of  November,  1839. 

Of  those  who  have  labored  here  either  as  pastors  or 
stated  supplies  since  1822,  Rev.  Messrs.  Wilson,  Patterson, 
Ely,  Jones,  and  Brown  are  among  the  living.  All  the  mi- 
nisters previous  to  that  date  are  numbered  with  the  dead. 

This  church,  like  many  others  in  this  region,  has  neg- 
lected almost  entirely  its  ecclesiastical  records.  From  its 
foundation  to  1832,  there  are  but  two  items  of  ecclesiasti- 
cal business  on  record.  We  are  indebted  to  the  Trea- 
surer's book  for  a  record  of  the  ordination  of  Elders. 

There  was  a  catalogue  of  members  belonging  to  the 
church,  made  in  1807.  It  exhibits  the  state  of  religion  at 
that  period  as  very  low  and  unpromising.    There  were  then 

r> 
O 


26 

but  39  members  in  communion,  eight  of  whom  were  colored 
persons.  This  church  has  never  enjoyed  those  frequent 
and  copious  showers  of  grace  which  have  been  poured  on 
some  other  portions  of  the  country.  This  state  of  things 
may  be  attributed  perhaps,  in  part,  to  the  practice  of  ad- 
mitting persons  who  did  not  profess  to  have  passed  from 
death  to  life,  to  sealing  ordinances,  which  long  prevailed 
here.  These  is  no  evidence  that  Whitefield  ever  preached 
on  this  spot,  nor  that  the  revival,  at  that  period,  had  any  in- 
fluence upon  it.  In  1746  this  congregation,  which  had 
sustained  the  ministry  alone  for  28  years  previous,  was 
united  with  New  Castle,  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Dick.  This 
fact  shows  that  its  interests  had  greatly  declined.  From 
1747  to  1753,  the  pulpit  was  vacant.  The  youth  and  fer- 
vid eloquence  of  Rodgers,  made  rapid  inroads  on  the  con- 
gregation ;  the  growth  of  the  Forest  congregation,  five  miles 
distant  from  this  spot,  and  the  improved  state  of  religious 
feeling,  under  the  labors  of  Rodgers,  and  Whitefield,  and 
Tennent,  and  Finley  drew  many  of  the  younger  members 
of  this  congregation  to  St.  George's  and  the  Forest  churches. 
These  considerations  show  why  so  many  of  the  members 
who  belonged  to  this  congregation  in  1 746,  were  afterwards 
found  on  the  records  of  St.  George's. 

ELDERS. 

With  regard  to  the  elders  of  this  church  we  have  not 
been  able  to  gain  much  definite  information  earlier  than 
the  year  1732.  From  the  records  of  the  Presbytery,  it 
appears  that  Leonard  Vandegrift  was  an  elder  in  Presby- 
tery in  1711.  In  1708  the  Vandegrift  family  bought  land 
here ;  and  none  of  the  name  are  known  to  have  resided  in 
any  other  part  of  the  field  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 


27 

phia,  at  that  period.  Leonard  is  a  family  name  in  the  Van- 
degrift  family  residing  here,  and  can  be  traced  on  records 
as  far  back  as  1738.  Leonard  Vandegrift,  then,  was  an 
elder  in  this  church.  In  1712  we  find  Isaac  Piper  re- 
corded as  an  elder  in  Presbytery.  The  Piper  family  long 
resided  here,  and  it  is  a  reasonable  supposition  that  Isaac 
Piper  was  an  elder  in  this  church.  In  1714,  Hans  Han- 
son was  an  elder  in  Presbytery.  There  were  two  men  of 
this  name  at  that  date,  probably  the  father  and  the  son. — 
The  eldest  of  the  two  resided  at  New  Castle.  But  no 
elder  of  this  name  could  have  represented  the  church  at 
New  Castle,  in  the  Presbytery,  at  the  meeting  in  17]  4,  be- 
cause Segfrigus  Alrichs  was  also  an  elder  in  Presbytery, 
who  is  known  to  have  resided  in  New  Castle.  Hans  Han- 
son, then,  was  an  elder  in  this  church  in  1714.  He  was 
one  of  the  purchasers  of  this  lot,  in  1711. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  in  1717, 
Elias  Naudain,  who  is  known  to  have  resided  within  the 
bounds  of  this  congregation  in  1717,  was  present  as  an 
elder.  In  1720,  Isaac  Piper  was  again  an  elder  in  the  sy- 
nod. In  1721,  Johannes  Vandegrift  was  an  elder  in  synod. 
In  1724,  Abraham  Golden,  Sen.  He  owned  the  farm  on 
which  Abraham  Vandegrift  now  resides.  In  1725,  Thos. 
Hyatt,  whose  name  is  on  our  records,  in  1736,  as  belonging 
to  the  congregation.  In  1727,  Jacob  King  was  an  elder  in 
synod.  He  owned  the  Dickinson  farm,  north  west  from 
the  Trap. 

In  1731,  Francis  King  was  an  elder  in  synod.     He  own- 
ed Mr.  Barney's  farm  in  1709,  and  bought  a  farm  lying  on 
the  south  west  side  of  2d  Drawyers  Creek,  now  a  part  of 
Gen.  Mansfield's,  on  which  the  old  stone  house  now  stands, 
in  1720. 

In  1732,  the  elders  were  Francis  King,  Cornelius  King, 


28 

who  owned  either  a  part  of  Mr.  Barney's  farm,  or  that  of 
John  M.  Woods,  Moses  McKinley,  who  owned  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Isaac  Vandegrift ;  Charles  Robinson,  who 
owned  the  Booth  farm  on  Scott's  Run,  and  Christopher  Van- 
degrift. 

In  1746,  Elias  Naudain  and  Garrett  Dushane,  who  lived 
at  the  Trap,  on  John  Janvier's  farm,  were  elders  in  office. 
On  the  5th  Sabbath  of  March,  in  the  same  year,  David 
Witherspoon,  Esq.,  James  McComb,  Garrett  Rothwell, 
Cornelius  King,  Joseph  Hill,  James  Anderson,  and  James 
Vance  were  ordained.  In  1778,  John  Taylor  and  Isaac 
Moody  were  chosen  in  the  place  of  Andrew  Bryan,  de- 
ceased. 

In  178S,  Elias  Naudain  and  Joseph  Aspril.  In  1790, 
John  Hanson,  in  the  place  of  John  Crawford,  deceased. 

Between  1790  and  1794,  though  it  is  not  certain  in  which 
year,  John  Vance  Hyatt  was  ordained  in  the  place  of  John 
Golden,  deceased.  In  1794,  John  Janvier  and  Elias  Wal- 
raven,  in  the  place  of  Robert  Meldrum,  deceased.  In 
1796,  Peter  Bowman  and  John  Moody,  in  the  place  of 
Isaac  Hyatt,  deceased. 

Thus  it  appears  that  between  1746  and  1776,  Andrew 
Bryan,  John  Crawford,  John  Golden,  Robert  Meldrum, 
and  Isaac  Hyatt  are  incidentally  mentioned  as  elders,  de- 
ceased, of  whose  ordination  there  is  no  record. 

In  1801,  Arnold  Naudain  and  William  Frazer,  in  place 
of  Elias  Naudain  and  John  Janvier,  deceased ;  William 
Frazer  was  never  ordained. 

In  1805,  James  Vance,  Joshua  Toland,  and  Leonard  K. 
Vandegrift,  in  place  of  Joseph  Aspril,  John  Hanson,  and 
Elias  Walraven,  deceased  ;  and  Arnold  Naudain,  who  join- 
ed the  Methodists  ;  1806,  David  Sebo,  in  the  place  of  John 
V.  Hyatt,  deceased. 


29 


In  1790,  John  Janvier  and  John  Vance  Hyatt  were  elect- 
ed deacons  ;  and  in  17^4,  Joseph  Vance.  There  is  no  evi- 
dence that  any  other  deacons  have  existed  in  this  church. 

In  IS  J  3,  Mr.  John  Boyd  was  ordained  an  elder.  He 
was  for  several  years  the  only  elder  in  the  church,  and  died 
in  1837. 

March  8,  1833,  John  M.  Woods  was  ordained  an  elder. 

November  21,  1833,  Andrew  S.  Naudain  and  Samuel 
Jefferson  were  ordained  as  Elders ;  Mr.  Jefferson  after- 
wards was  elected  an  elder  in  Port  Penn  church. 

* 

TRUSTEES. 

There  is  no  record  of  the  election  of  trustees  earlier  than 
1746. 

The  following  persons  have  been  Trustees  of  this  con- 
gregation, viz  :  John  Vandyke,  went  out  of  office  as  trustee, 
in  1746.     He  was  sheriff  of  this  county. 

In  1746,  Hans  Hanson,  Elias  Naudain,  James  Anderson, 
Senr.,  and  David  Witherspoon.  Elias  Naudain  was  a  na- 
tive of  France. 

After  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  in  1685, 
he  fled  to  England.  The  certificate  of  his  denization  in 
England  was  dated  1703,  and  recorded  at  New  Castle,  in 
1720.     He  was  on  the  grand  jury   at  New  Castle  in  1718. 

David  Witherspoon,  Esq.  was  a  native  of  the  county  of 
Londonderry,  in  Ireland.  He  resided  in  Middletown,  where 
he  died  in  1763,  aged  58,  and  was  buried  in  the  rear  of 
the  tavern  in  that  place,  which  tavern  he  built.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Senate  in  Delaware,  in  1762.  It  was  in 
his  house  that  the  scene  described  in  the  Life  of  Dr. 
Rodgers  occurred,  which  was  the  apparent  means  of  bringing 
Hugh  Knox  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  into  the  Chris- 

3* 


• 


30 

tian  ministry.  About  the  year  1754,  Knox  came  to  this 
country  from  Ireland,  and  was  recommended  to  Dr.  Rodgers 
by  Dr.  Francis  Allison,  of  New  London.  Dr.  Rodgers 
succeeded  in  establishing  for  him  a  grammar  school  at  the 
head  of  the  Bohemia,  on  the  farm  now  in  possession  of  the 
Clayton  family.  In  this  school  Knox  continued  about  a 
year,  as  a  successful  teacher.  Here  he  attended  the  minis- 
try  of  Dr.  Rodgers,  at  the  Forest  church.  On  Saturdays 
he  was  accustomed  to  spend  the  afternoons  at  the  tavern 
of  Mr.  Witherspoon,  in  company  with  some  of  his  associ- 
ates. Habits  of  intemperance,  in  this  company,  were  rapid- 
ly gaining  strength.  On  one  occasion  the  associates  of 
Knox  said,  "  come  parson,  give  us  a  sermon."  He  at  first 
declined,  but  at  length  excited  by  drink,  said,  "  well,  come, 
I  will  give  you  the  sermon  which  Mr.  Rodgers  preached 
last  Sunday."  The  text  was,  2  Cor.  v.  20.  Knox  had  a 
retentive  memory  and  great  powers  of  imitation.  He  re- 
peated so  much  of  the  sermon,  and  imitated  so  closely  the 
delivery  of  Dr.  Rodgers  that  Mr.  Witherspoon,  who  heard 
him  from  the  adjacent  room,  said,  that  had  he  not  known  to 
the  contrary,  he  should  have  supposed  that  Dr.  Rodgers 
himself  was  preaching.  This  attempt  at  mimickry  made 
a  deep  impression  on  the  mind  of  Knox.  Filled  with 
shame,  he  fled  from  the  place  without  waiting  even  to  col- 
lect the  money  due  to  him,  and  was  not  heard  of  for  a  num- 
ber of  months.  The  next  autumn,  Dr.  Rodgers  attended 
the  commencement  at  Princeton.  At  the  house  of  President 
Burr  he  met  with  Knox,  who  made  to  him  a  full  confession 
of  the  wickedness  of  his  conduct,  and  of  the  impression 
which  the  scene  had  made  on  his  mind,  which  resulted  in 
his  hopeful  conversion,  and  begged  the  doctor  to  say  nothing 
to  hinder  his  admission  to  college.  He  was  admitted ;  pur- 
sued his  classical  and  theological  studies  with  entire  credit 


31 

to  himself;  settled  in  the  ministry  in  the  island  of  St.  Croix, 
where  he  remained  for  many  years,  and  eventually  received 
the  degree  of  Doctor  in  Divinity  from  the  university  of  Glas- 
gow, in  Scotland.     He  was  an  able  writer. 

1754,  James  Anderson,  David  Witherspoon,  Joseph  Hill, 
Alexander  Bryan,  and  William  Whittit, — Whittit  was  a 
merchant. 

1766,  James  Anderson,  Arnold  Naudain,  and  Thomas 
Witherspoon.     James  Anderson  died  in  1767,  and  in 

1768,  Andrew  Naudain  and  Andrew  Bryan  were  elect- 
ed. 

1772,  Arnold  Naudain,  Thomas  Witherspoon,  Andrew 
Bryan,  Charles  Robinson,  John  Crawford,  Isaac  Hyatt, 
John  Golden,  and  Robert  Meldrum  were  trustees. 

1778,  John  Crawford  was  chosen  trustee  of  the  glebe 
money,  in  place  of  Andrew  Bryan,  deceased  ;  and  William 
Read  for  the  money  willed  to  Drawyers  congregation,  by 
Mary  Hill.     He  was  a  brother  of  Dr.  Read. 

1785,  Elias  Naudain  was  chosen  Trustee  of  the  glebe 
money. 

1787,  John  Crawford,  John  Golden,  Joseph  Aspril,  Elias 
Naudain,  and  John  Vance  Hyatt.  Elias  Naudain  died  in 
1800. 

1790,  Robert  Meldrum  in  the  place  of  John  Crawford, 
Esq.,  deceased,  and  William  McKennan  in  the  place  of 
John  Golden,  deceased. 

1794,  John  Congleton  who  removed  from  the  place  in 
1794,  and  John  Janvier,  who  died  in  1801. 

1798,  William  Frazer,  who  continued  in  office  till  1800, 
and  Elias  Walraven,  who  died  1803. 

1802,  William  Bradford,  who  died  in  1803.  In  1802, 
Joseph  Aspril  and  John  Vance  Hyatt  died. 


32 

1805,  John  Janvier  and  Christopher  Vandegrift  3d  were 
elected. 

1806,  Alban  Roberts,  who  resigned  in  1811. 
1811,  David  Sebo,  who  died  in  1815. 

1819,  John  Janvier,  Lawrence  Aspril,  Abraham  Vande- 
grift, and  Peter  Bowman. 

1829,  James  Houston,  John  H.  Cannon,  and  John  M. 
Woods. 

1842,  The  Trustees  of  this  congregation  in  office  are 
John  Janvier,  Esq.,  Christopher  Vandegrift,  John  Janvier, 
Abraham  Vandegrift,  James  Houston,  John  M.  Woods,  and 
John  H.  Cannon. 

TREASURERS. 

1731,  Abraham  Martin  was  in  office. 

1736,  John  Vandyke  was  elected. 

1750,  David  Witherspoon. 

From  1751  to  1754,  Anthony  Golden. 

1764,  Thomas  Witherspoon. 

1767,  Arnold  Naudain. 

1773,  Arnold  Naudain. 

1785,  John  Crawford. 

1787,  Arnold  Naudain. 

1807,  John  Moody,  who  continued  in  office  till  1819. 
From  1819  to  1822  John  Janvier. 

1822  to  1825,  Christopher  Vandegrift. 

1825  to  1826,  Peter  Bowman. 

1826  to  1829,  Christopher  Vandegrift. 
1829  to  1842,  John  Janvier. 

The  following  persons  are  known  to  have  belonged  to  this 
congregation,  at  the  dates  attached  to  their  names.     They 


33 

were  probably  all  here  at  a  period  anterior  to  these  dates, 
as  they  are  incidentally  mentioned  on  the  records.  But  we 
are  compelled  to  gather  up  the  names  as  they  stand  re- 
corded. From  the  records  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia, 
it  appears  that  Andrew  Vandyke  was  a  member  of  this 
church,  in  1718.  The  Vandyke  family  emigrated  to  this 
colony  from  Middlesex  county,  New  Jersey.  Andrew  Van- 
dyke made  his  will  in  1730.  He  had  a  brother,  Isaac  Van- 
dyke, whose  will  is  dated  1727.  This  family  resided  in 
Dutch  Neck. 

The  bond  of  Garrett  Dushane  and  Abraham  Golden, 
Senr.,  bears  date  Oct.  10,  1723.  Abraham  Marteen,  (Mar- 
tin,) was  here  in  1731.  John  Vandyke,  son  of  Andrew, 
1733.  Moses  McKinley,  Charles  Robinson,  Cornelius 
King,  Francis  King,  and  Christopher  Vandegrift,  1732. — 
Thomas  Hyatt,  1739. 

The  bonds  of  Henry  Vandyke  and  Nicholas  Vandyke, 
are  dated  1744. 

Francis  King  and  Francis  Crussan's,  1746. 

John  Vanzandt  and  William  Bennett's,  1747. 

Peter  Packard  and  Jared  Rothwell's,  1746. 

All  the  bonds  mentioned  probably  belonged  to  the  glebe^ 

Andrew  Bryan,  Henry  Piper,  James  Anderson,  Peter 
Bellows,  Jacob  Hyatt,  William  Piper,  David  Steward, 
Thomas  King,  John  Vandyke,  son  of  Nicholas,  whose  will 
is  dated  1728.  James  Dery,  William  Patterson,  "James 
Rogers,  James  Vance,  Derick  See,  Peter  Getton,  Lewis 
Getton,  James  Houston,  James  McComb,  Matthew  Steele, 
Robert  Young,  William  Bell,  Henry  Vanleud,  Isaac  Can- 
non, who  lived  on  the  farm  of  Robert  Ocheltree,  John 
Fermer,  James  Patterson,  James  Crawford,  Anthony  Du- 
shane, James  Beluerd,  Garrett  Vanzandt,  David  Hyatt, 
Charles  Perry,  Peter  Alrichs,  Hugh  Curry,  Thomas  Dare 


34 

Valentine  Dushane,  John  Anderson,  Henry  Peterson;  were 
all  members  of  the  congregation  and  held  seats  in  the  house 
of  worship  in  1746. 

John  Culbertson,  Andrew  Vance,  Samuel  Moore,    

Laforge,  and  Thomas  Leach,  in  1748.  John  Vance,  and 
James  Peterson,  in  1750.  Anthony  Golden,  in  1751. — 
Joseph  Hill,  in  1752.  Joseph  Hill  was  a  native  of  Boston, 
New  England. 

Thomas  Steward  and  James  Mahoe,  William  Piper, 
John  Anderson,  James  Hart,  David  Walker,  George  Pent- 
land,  William  Wilson,  Jacobus  Hanson,  Grace  McComb, 
Hugh  McDowell,  Andrew  Naudain,  1753. 

James  Piper,  Robert  Watt,  and  Nicholas  Bennett,  1754. 
John  Bryan  and  Alexander  Bryan  (were  brothers)  and  John 
Bumgarden,  1763.  William  Golden,  James  Anderson, 
Abraham  Golden,  Abraham  Williams,  and  Derick  Williams, 
John  Hanson,  William  Hanson,  Samuel  Piper,  and  John 
Martin,  1767. 

Merinas  Haughey,  Thomas  Packard,  John  Golden,  and 
Susanna  Denny,  "  late  widow  of  Andrew  Naudain,"  1771. 
All  these  names,  excepting  one  or  two,  are  found  on  the  re- 
cords of  the  trustees. 

With  a  commendable  zeal  the  members  of  this  congre- 
gation, at  an  early  period  of  its  history,  made  liberal  dona- 
tions to  establish  a  permanent  fund  for  the  support  of  the 
ministry,  the  benefit  of  whose  liberality  we  enjoy  at  the  pre- 
sent time  ;  and  it  becomes  us  to  inquire  whether  the  present 
generation  ought  not  to  remember,  in  a  similar  manner,  this 
ancient  congregation,  and  provide  for  its  future  necessities — 
that  while  you  enjoy  the  benefits  of  the  liberality  of  your 
ancestors,  you  may  extend  the  same  liberality  to  your  suc- 
cessors. 

Mrs.  Mary  Hill,  who  has  been  mentioned  as  a  benefac- 


35 

tor  of  this  church,  was  the  wife  of  Joseph  Hill,  an  elder  of 
this  church,  and  grand-daughter  of  Peter  Alrichs,  Governor 
of  Delaware.  She  contributed  a  hundred  pounds  to  the 
building  of  this  church,  and  thirty  pounds  to  purchase  plate 
for  the  communion  table. 

The  first  house  of  worship  erected  on  this  enclosure 
stood  on  the  south  east  corner  of  the  grave  yard,  directly 
in  front  of  the  grave  of  Joseph  Hill.  Tt  was  of  wood. 
What  were  its  form  and  dimensions  cannot  now  be  ascer- 
tained. It  soon  became  too  small  to  contain  the  congrega- 
tion, and  was  enlarged  in  1736.  The  name  of  the  carpenter 
was  Alexander  Hoage.  But  it  seems  to  have  been  enlarg- 
ed more  than  once.  The  preamble  to  the  subscription  for 
the  present  house,  says  of  the  former  house,  "  and  at  sundry 
times"  it  "has  been  enlarged."  But  at  what  periods  and 
to  what  extent  we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining. 

In  1751,  the  "Study  House"  was  either  built  or  en- 
larged. That  "Study  House"  is  remembered  my  many 
now  among  us.  It  stood  near  the  north  east  corner  of  this 
house,  where  the  ruins  of  its  foundations  are  still  visible. 

In  1797,  the  congregation  resolved  to  enclose  the  bury- 
ing ground.  Probably  it  had  never  been  enclosed  prior  to 
that  date,  and  the  ashes  of  the  dead  are  reposing  in  the  ad- 
jacent fields,  and  in  the  grove  in  front  of  the  present  en- 
closure. 

In  1769,  the  house  of  worship  having  decayed  and  being 
rendered  "  unfit  to  answer  the  purposes  of  a  house  of  wor- 
ship," a  subscription  was  raised  for  the  purpose  of  erecting 
the  present  edifice,  and  Peter  Alrichs,  John  Hanson,  John 
Hyatt,  Jr.,  James  Moore,  William  Bradford,  Duncan  Beard, 
Henry  Packard,  Jr.,  and  Andrew  Brown  were  appointed 
a  building  committee.  Peter  Alrichs  was  appointed  trea- 
surer of  the  building   committee.      The  house  was   not 


36 

erected  till  1773.  The  bricks  were  burnt  on  the  farm  of 
Robert  Meldrum,  now  owned  by  Samuel  Pennington.  The 
remains  of  the  brick-kiln  are  still  visible  on  the  north  east 
corner  of  Mr.  Pennington's  field,  lying  on  the  north  side  of 
the  road  leading  from  this  church,  to  Middletown. 

In  1772,  Peter  Alrichs  and  Mrs.  Mary  Hill  were  appoint- 
ed "  Treasurers  of  the  money  for  building  the  new  Meet- 
ing House."  Andrew  Bryan,  however,  acted  in  their  behalf. 
During  the  same  year,  another  building  committee  seems  to 
have  been  appointed,  consisting  of  Andrew  Bryan,  Tho- 
mas Witherspoon,  John  Crawford,  John  Hyatt,  and  Arnold 
Naudain. 

Jacob  McComb,  Garrett  Hart,  Robert  Meldrum,  Isaac 
Hyatt,  and  Thomas  McKean  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  collect  the  subscription  for  the  building  of  the  church. 

In  1776,  Duncan  Beard,  Isaac  Moody,  Joseph  Aspril, 
and  William  Read  were  chosen  a  committee  to  settle  with 
Andrew  Bryan,  Treasurer  for  building  "  Drawyers  Brick 
Meeting  House." 

The  house  was  not  finished,  however,  at  that  period.  A 
part  of  it  was  plastered  in  1823. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Hyatt,  who  died  in  1820,  left  a  legacy  of 
100  pounds  for  this  purpose  ;  and  David  Vandyke  be- 
queathed in  his  will  made  in  1798,  twenty  pounds  to  Draw- 
yers church,  "  to  finish  the  house  of  worship." 

The  dimensions  of  this  church  are  44  by  56  feet.  Its 
materials  and  workmanship  were  of  the  most  substantial  cha- 
racter. It  is  a  noble  monument  of  the  fidelity  of  the  build- 
ing committee,  and  of  the  affection  of  that  generation  for 
the  decency  and  order  of  divine  worship.  John  Vance 
Hyatt  died  in  1806,  and  left  100  pounds  to  put  a  new  roof 
on  the  church. 

In  1811,  a  new  roof  was  put  upon  this   house  and  in 


37 


1833  the  pulpit  and  seats  were  remodeled,  and  the  interior 
of  the  house  otherwise  improved  and  painted. 

The  names  of  those  who  contributed  to  the  erection  of 
this  house,  with  the  several  amounts  of  their  subscriptions, 
are  as  follows : 


James  Patterson, 
John  Edwards, 
Henry  Vanbebber, 
Daniel  Bratton, 
Abel  Pitman, 
William  Gill,  | 

Roger  Casey, 
Samuel  Adair, 
George  McCoole, 
William  Stephenson, 
Abel  Miles, 
Owen  Owen, 
Nicholas  Vandyke, 
Andrew  Hendry, 
Nicholas  Hanson, 
Joseph  Aspril, 
William  Carpenter, 
Henry  Foster, 
William  Walker, 
John  Gray, 
Jacob  Vanlaven, 
William  Nielson, 
George  Norris, 
Garrett  Hart, 
Jacob  King, 
John  Adair, 
Ephraim  Hyatt, 


£      s. 

d. 

1    10 

0 

1    10 

0 

1     0 

0 

1     0 

0 

1    JO 

0 

1   10 

0 

1     0 

0 

3     0 

0 

1   10 

0 

1   10 

0 

1   10 

0 

2     0 

0 

6     0 

0 

1     0 

0 

1   10 

0 

3     0 

0 

2     0 

0 

6     0 

0 

3  10 

0 

2     0 

0 

3     0 

0 

3     0 

0 

3     0 

0 

10     0 

0 

2     0 

0 

2     0 

0 

3     0 

0 

38 


John  Taylor, 

John  Richardson, 

Hugh  Eagleson,  - 

Jean  Butcher,  - 

Sarah  Hambly,  - 

Sarah  McConnall  and  James  Darrach, 

Samuel  Carpenter,         *■ 

James  Vanzandt, 

Susannah  Piper,  - 

John  Harrell,  Jr., 

Abraham  Rothwell,        ... 

George  Armstrong, 

Peter  Packard,  - 

Arnold  Naudain, 

David  Vandyke,  Senr., 

Elias  Naudain,         - 

James  Vance,  - 

Osborn  Flisse,  - 

John  Hyatt,       - 

John  Vail,  Senr.,     - 

William  Clark, 

John  Golden,  ... 

John  Hanson,  - 

John  Thomas,  - 

William  Curry,  - 

Samuel  Smith,         - 

John  McGoffin,  - 

William  Smith,         - 

Charles  Bryan,  - 

James  Hanson,         - 

William  Burgess,  - 

John  Burgess,  -  -  -  1   10     0 


£ 

s. 

d. 

5 

10 

0 

1 

0 

0 

] 

0 

0 

1 

0 

0 

0 

0 

11 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

6 

5 

0 

6 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

2 

0 

0 

5 

G 

0 

25 

0 

0 

20 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

1 

10 

0 

1 

0 

D 

10 

1 

6 

G 

10 

0 

7 

0 

0 

7 

0 

0 

6 

10 

10 

O 

0 

0 

7 

10 

0 

3 

0 

0 

5 

0 

0 

2 

0 

0 

G 

0 

0 

Q 

o 

0 

0 

G 

0 

0 

39 


Cornelius  Naudain, 
Charles  Robinson, 
John  Martin, 
Edwin  Webster, 
Abraham  Vandegrift, 
Sampson  Atkinson, 
Thomas  Packard, 
Richard  See, 
Jared  Rothwell, 
Benjamin  Rothwell, 
John  Crawford, 
Adam  Vance, 
Robert  Meldrum, 
Garrett  Packard, 
William  Hanson, 
Duncan  Beard, 
John  Vail,  Jr., 
William  King, 
John  Hook, 
Thomas  Vail, 
James  Moore, 
Mary  Hill, 
Henry  Packard, 
Thomas  Rothwell, 
William  McKean, 
Jacob  McComb, 
Thomas  Witherspoon, 
James  Moore, 
Isaac  Hyatt, 
Peter  Alrichs, 
Benjamin  Armstrong, 
James  McCoy. 


£ 

s. 

d. 

10 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

12 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

12 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

6 

6 

6 

10 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

100 

0 

0 

16 

0 

0 

15 

0 

0 

13 

0 

0 

20 

0 

0 

25 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

8 

0 

0 

15 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

7 

0 

0 

40 

James  Vail,         - 
William  Read, 
Andrew  Brown, 
Joseph  Anderson,     - 
Susannah  Gooding, 
John  Hanson,  2d,    - 
Isaac  Moody, 
James  Moody, 
William  Rothwell, 
Joseph  Evans, 
Conderat  Gray, 
Jacob  Pugh, 
Samuel  Allen, 
James  Vail, 
William  White, 

Isaac  Lewis, 

Evan  Morgan,  (Pencader,) 

Cornelius  McNamer, 

James  Ruth,     - 

Jeremiah  Ford, 

William  McColly, 

Samuel  Steward,     - 

John  Robinson, 

Robert  Dorter, 

Inosus  Scott, 

Robert  Watt, 

Joseph  Hains, 

Valentine  Dodd, 

David  Thomas,  (Lewis  county,) 

Cornelius  Truax, 

John  Bolton, 

James  David, 


£ 

s. 

d. 

6  ] 

L0 

0 

6 

10 

0 

3 

2 

6 

20 

10 

L0 

6 

0 

0 

10 

0 

0 

6 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

3 

0 

0 

9 

6 

6 

5 

9 

15 

15 

4* 

5 

8 

1 

10 

10 

9 

4 

1 

1 

1 

13 

0 

5 

0 

2 

10  13 

8 

4 

1 

5 

1 

1 

6 

5 

1 

6 

1 

14 

6 

1 

4 

5 

4 

19 

10 

17 

10 

1 

9 

1 

0 

4 

51 

0 

0 

1 

14 

6 

£ 

5. 

d. 

4 

17 

6 

9 

16 

8 

1 

10 

6 

1 

8 

6 

2 

2 

6 

1 

1 

0 

1 

12 

4 

1 

10 

6 

2 

6 

9 

15 

0 

0 

41 


Alexander  Ruth,  - 

William  Craighton, 
Samuel  Vance,  - 

Thomas  Hyatt,        - 
Benjamin  Noxen,  -. 

Thomas  Wallace,  .  - 

John  Hambleton,  - 

Veronica  Datterson, 
Thomas  McGraw,  - 

Andrew  Bryan,        - 

A  part  of  the  original  subscription  list  now  in  the  hands 
of  the  treasurer,  has  been  lost,  and  with  it  the  names  of 
forty  contributors  to  this  house  have  perished.  The  sums 
which  they  contributed  are  preserved,  and  amount  to  £122 
6s.  Id. 

The  whole  sum  raised  by  subscription  for  the  erection  of 
this  house  was 

£985  13     0 
Add  to  this  120     0     0   bequeathed  to  finish 

the    house,  and    the 

Sum  total  is  £1105  13  0 

This  sum  was  contributed  by  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  individuals. 

The  name  of  Mrs.  Mary  Hill  is  carved  on  a  marble  slab 
in  the  wall  of  this  house,  on  which  she  caused  the  following 
inscription  to  be  made,  viz  : 


42 

"  THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN 
SOCIETY  IN  THIS  HUNDRED. 

BUILT  A.  D.    1773. 
REV.  THOMAS  READ,  A.  M. 
PASTOR. 
THIS  STONE  THE  GIFT  OF  MRS.  MARY  HILL. 

Serve  the  Lord  with  gladness. 

Ps.  100.  2d." 

Another  Stone  is  about  to  be  placed  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  pulpit  with  this  inscription,  viz  : 

THIS  SITE  PURCHASED  MAY  10,   1711. 

THE  FIRST  CHURCH  BUILT   1711. 
REV.    JOHN    WILSON,    PASTOR,    1708. 

"  Your  fathers,  where  are  they?" 

This  church,  now  commonly  known  as  the  Drawyers 
church,  seems  to  have  derived  its  name  from  the  creek,  on 
whose  bank  it  stands.  But  whence  the  creek  derived  this 
name  it  is  not  easy  to  determine.  The  original  name  of  the 
church  was,  "The  Church  of  Apoquinimy."  Its  corporate 
name  is,  "The  1st  Presbyterian  Church  in  St.  George's  Hun- 
dred." Within  the  geographical  limits  of  this  congregation, 
various  other  churches  have  been  organized  since  this  church 
was  founded. 

There  was  a  place  of  worship  erected  at  an  early  period 
by  the  Friends,  near  the  road,  leading  from  Port  Penn  to 
the  State  road,  called,  "  George's  Creek  Meeting  House." 


43 

This  site  is  now  known  as  the  Hickory  Grove.  Thence,  the 
place  of  worship  was  removed  to  CantwelPs  Bridge,  and  the 
present  house  was  erected  about  the  year  1780. 

Dr.  Read  says,  that  "about  the  year  1742  the  Draw- 
yers  church  divided.  The  party  that  withdrew,  being  call- 
ed the  New  Side,  were  formed  into  a  society  and  erected 
a  meeting  house  about  six  miles  north  east  of  Drawyers 
meeting  house,  and  formed  a  large  and  respectable  congrega- 
tion denominated,  St.  George's  congregation ;  and  very 
shortly  after  invited  a  Mr.  Robinson  to  be  their  minister. 
He  accepted  their  invitation  in  1743  or  1744,  and  from 
his  piety  and  zeal  there  was  a  prospect  of  a  great  harvest  in 
that  part  of  the  vineyard.  But  it  pleased  the  Lord  to 
call  him  to  a  more  exalted  station  in  1746."  This  was 
Rev.  William  Robinson,  the  pioneer  of  Presbyterianism 
in  Virginia.  He  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  Quaker  in 
England.  In  his  youth  he  went  to  visit  an  aunt  of  his  in 
the  city  of  London,  where  he  became  involved  in  dissi- 
pation and  in  debt.  He  resolved  at  once  to  embark  for 
America,  fearing  to  return  to  his  father's  house.  After  his 
arrival  in  this  country,  he  taught  a  school  in  New  Jersey. 
Here  he  became  a  Christian,  pursued  his  academical  and 
theological  studies  while  engaged  in  his  school,  and  in 
due  time  was  licensed  and  ordained  by  the  Presbytery 
of  New  Brunswick.  Soon  after  this  he  visited  Virginia  as  a 
missionary.  In  Hanover  county,  in  that  State,  there  were 
a  few  individuals  into  whose  hands  "  Boston's  Fourfold 
State,"  and  some  other  religious-  books,  had  come.  Samuel 
Morris,  a  wealthy  planter,  had  procured  Luther's  Commen- 
tary on  the  Galatians,  which  led  him  to  embrace  the  plan 
of  salvation.  He  invited  his  neighbors  to  meet  at  his  house 
and  spend  the  Sabbaths  in  hearing  religious  books  read. — 
In  1743  a  volume  of  Whitefleld's  Sermons  was  brought  into 


44 

the  neighborhood,  and  such  deep  interest  was  excited  that 
the  people  began  to  meet  on  week  days.  But,  as  yet,  they 
had  no  prayers,  extemporaneous  prayer  being  then  unknown 
in  that  region,  Episcopacy  being  the  religion  established  by 
law  in  that  colony.  Mr.  Morris'  house  was  soon  too  small  to 
contain  the  people  who  resorted  thither,  and  a  building  was 
erected  for  their  accommodation,  which  was  called  "  Mor- 
ris' Reading  Room."  In  1743,  Mr.  Robinson  visited 
the  interior  of  Virginia,  and  preached  at  Cub  Creek. — 
While  there,  some  young  people  from  Mr.  Morris'  neigh- 
borhood heard  him,  and  carried  back  the  intelligence.  Two 
messengers  were  immediately  sent  to.  invite  Mr.  Robinson  to 
Morris'  Reading  Room.  They  were  obliged  to  follow  him  to 
North  Carolina,  before  they  overtook  him.  He  promised  to 
comply  with  their  request  at  an  appointed  time.  On  Satur- 
day previous  to  the  Sabbath  appointed,  he  rode  until  a  late 
hour  of  the  night  and  lodged  at  a  tavern  eight  or  ten  miles 
distant  from  the  Reading  Room.  While  there,  he  rebuked 
the  landlord,  who  was  a  shrewd,  boisterous  man,  for  his 
profanity.  He  replied,  "  Pray,  who  are  you,  Sir,  to  take 
such  authority  upon  yourself?"  Mr.  Robinson  replied,  "I 
am  a  minister  of  the  Gospel."  "  Then  your  looks  belie  you 
very  much,"  was  the  reply.  Mr.  Robinson,  in  addition  to 
features  far  from  being  prepossessing,  had  a  countenance 
much  disfigured  by  the  small  pox,  and  had  lost  the  use 
of  one  of  his  eyes.  "  But,"  said  Mr.  Robinson,  "  If  you 
wish  to  know  whether  I  am  a  minister  or  not,  if  you  will  ac- 
company me,  you  may  be  convinced  by  hearing  me  preach." 
His  reply  was,  "  I  will,  if  you  will  preach  from  a  text 
which  I  shall  give  you."  Mr.  Robinson  promised  to 
do  so  provided  there  was  nothing  unsuitable  in  the  text. — 
The  text  was  designedly  applied  sarcastically  to  Mr.  Rob- 
inson himself,  by  the  landlord.    It  was  this, — "  I  am  fear- 


45 

fully  and  wonderfully  made."  The  landlord  accompanied 
him.  He  preached  from  that  text,  and  the  landlord  was 
led  to  see  that  his  own  moral  conformation  was  fearful 
and  wonderful,  and  he  afterwards  became  a  pious,  devoted 
member  of  the  church.  Mr.  Robinson  preached  with  great 
success,  and  many  were  brought  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
After  Mr.  Robinson  left  the  neighborhood,  a  collection  was 
made,  and  messengers  sent  to  give  it  to  him.  This  he  re- 
fused ;  but  at  length  consented  on  condition  that  they  should 
grant  him  permission  to  appropriate  it  to  the  education  of  a 
pious,  indigent  young  man,  who  was  then  preparing  for  the 
ministry.  He,  moreover,  promised  that  that  young  man 
should  come  and  preach  to  them  when  he  was  prepared.  The 
money  was  thus  applied.  The  young  man  visited  Hanover, 
and  there  settled  in  the  ministry  with  that  very  people. — 
That  young  man  was  Rev.  Samuel  Davies,  who  was  born  a 
short  distance  from  the  Summit  Bridge,  on  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Mr.  Lum,  about  12  miles  from  this  spot.  He 
was  afterwards  President  of  Princeton  College,  visited 
England  and  collected  funds  for  its  endowment.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  talented  and  eloquent  men  of  the  age,  of 
Welch  descent,  and  probably  born  in  the  Pencader  congre- 
gation. 

The  people  of  St.  George's  then  called  Rev.  Samuel 
Davies.  He  spent  some  time  with  them  but  not  as  a  stated 
Pastor;  and  removed  thence  to  Hanover  in  Virginia.  They 
then  united  with  the  congregation  of  Middletown,  which 
was  composed  principally  of  the  people  that  withdrew  from 
Drawyers,  and  a  few  of  those  that  belonged  to  Back  Creek 
congregation,  and  invited  a  Mr.  John  Rodgers  to  be  their 
Pastor.  He  accepted  their  invitation,  was  installed  March 
16th,  1749,  and  spent  sixteen  years  among  them."  So 
popular  was  Dr.  Rodgers  that  the  adjacent  congregations 


46 

found  it  difficult  to  sustain  a  Pastor,  especially  Drawyers 
and  Pencader. 

The  Presbyterian  church  at  Pigeon  Run,  about  five  miles 
distant,  near  the  road  to  Wilmington,  was  dissolved  and 
united  with  St.  George's,  and  the  Welch  Episcopal  congre- 
gation opposite  the  steam  mill  on  the  South  side  of  the  canal 
in  St.  George's,  rapidly  declined  and  became  extinct.  Dr. 
Rodgers  removed  to  Wall  Street  church  in  New  York  in 
1765,  and  died  in  1811.  In  1766,  Rev.  Elihu  Spencer 
was  called  and  continued  with  1  hem  four  years. 

After  him  Rev.  Thomas  Smyth  was  called,  who  accepted 
their  invitation.  After  about  one  year  had  elapsed  a  difficulty 
arose  between  the  congregations  of  St.  George's  and  Middle- 
town,  and  they  became  separate  charges.  Mr.  Smyth  re- 
tained the  Middletown  church,  where  he  continued  to  labor 
until  his  death  in  1792.  In  1776  the  glebe  of  these  congre- 
gations was  divided. 

The  church  at  St.  George's  remained  vacant  until 
1781,  when  Rev.  Daniel  Jones  took  charge  of  the  congre- 
gation, and  removed  after  one  year.  After  this  Rev.  John 
Burton  took  charge  of  it,  and  continued  there  till  1796. 
Rev.  John  Collins  was  installed  in  1798,  and  died  in 
1804. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Samuel  Bell  in  1808.  Under 
Mr.  Bell  the  congregation  was  united  with  Pencader.  He 
left  in  1830.  Their  present  Pastor,  Rev.  James  C.  How, 
was  installed  in  1831. 

Probably  the  people  who  withdrew  from  Drawyers  in 
1742,  all  attended  the  St.  George's  church  for  several  years. 
This  is  rendered  probable  by  the  fact  that  the  Middletown, 
or  Forest  church  was  not  built  till  1750. 

It  has  been  alleged  that  the  St.  George's  church  was 
organized  in  1698.     The  evidence  adduced  is  that  this  date 


47 

is  found  on  a  rafter  in  the  roof  of  the  present  house.  This 
opinion  we  cannot  adopt,  because  1.  No  ministry,  nor  elder- 
ship, nor  date  on  a  tombstone  can  be  found  prior  to  the  date 
of  Mr.  Robinson  s  settlement. 

2.  Because  that  in  the  year  ]  709,  the  Presbytery  refused 
to  organize  a  church  at  White  Clay  creek,  lest  a  congregation 
so  near  to  New  Castle  should  injure  the  church  in  that  place. 
The  distance  was  twelve  miles,  whereas  St.  George's  is  but 
eleven  miles  from  New  Castle.  If  St.  George's  congregation 
is  older  than  this,  why  did  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle  in 
1709  direct  Mr.  Wilson  to  preach  to  this  church  which  was 
only  six  miles  distant  from  St.  George's,  when  they  had  at 
that  very  session  refused  an  organization  to  White  Clay  creek, 
twelve  miles  from  New  Castle. 

3.  The  church  at  St.  George's  is  never  mentioned  on  the 
records  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  nor  of  the  synod, 
prior  to  1753,  while  this  church  was  mentioned  in  1708  and 
1709,  and  a  minister  was  ordained  here  by  Presbytery  in 
1714,  and  supplies  were  often  sent  to  this  church  during  the 
vacancies  which  occurred. 

4.  Because  all  the  other  churches  which  are  known  to 
have  existed  prior  to  the  organization  of  the  Synod  in  1717, 
are  mentioned  on  the  Records  of  the  Presbytery. 

5.  Because  that  prior  to  1707,  an  Episcopal  church  is 
known  to  have  existed  in  that  place,  to  which  Penn  granted 
25  acres  of  land.  No  instance  can  be  found  in  which  two 
churches  existed  at  that  early  period  within  one  mile  of  each 
other,  as  these  two  churches  at  St.  George's  must  have  done, 
except  in  a  large  town. 

6.  Because  the  church  at  Pigeon  Run,  which  was  after- 
wards united  with  St.  George's,  and  stood  only  five  miles 
from  it,  was  manifestly  an  older  church.     One  tombstone  in 


48 

the  grave-yard  being  dated  at  least  twenty  years  earlier  than 
the  oldest  tombstone  at  St.  George's. 

7.  Because  there  is  no  evidence  that  Red  Lion  hundred 
was  sufficiently  populous  to  become  a  distinct  subdivision  of 
territory  prior  to  1718. 

8.  Because  Dr.  Reed,  in  a  history  of  these  churches  now 
in  existence,  says,  that  St.  George's  church  was  organized 
by  the  New  Side  party,  which  went  out  from  this  church  in 
1742.  Dr.  Reed  commenced  preaching  in  this  church  in 
1768,  26  years  after  the  division  occurred,  of  which  he 
speaks,  and  when  many  who  were  active  in  that  division 
were  still  alive. 

9.  Because  that  many  who  were  evidently  members  of 
that  congregation  in  1751,  were  members  and  held  seats  in 
this  congregation  in  1746.  Individuals  who  were  brought 
up  here,  and  even  two  sons  of  one  of  the  Elders  of  this 
church,  were  afterwards  members  of  that  congregation. 
These  reasons  we  deem  amply  sufficient  to  outweigh  any 
mark  on  a  rafter  of  a  church,  the  author  and  history  of  which 
are  unknown. 

The  truth  may  be  that  the  party  who  composed  that 
church  knew  the  date  of  the  organization  of  this  church,  and 
that  when  they  left  this  church,  they  still  claimed  to  be  the 
true  and  original  church,  and  therefore  fixed  the  date  of  our 
organization  on  their  church.  We  know  that  both  parties 
did  make  this  claim  during  that  division  in  the  original  Synod, 
as  has  been  done  during  the  recent  division,  and  that  on  this 
field  there  were  then  two  Presbyteries,  both  of  which  were 
known  as  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle.  On  this  supposi- 
tion, this  date  is  the  exact  date  of  the  organization  of  this 
church  and  congregation. 

There  is  still  another  difficulty  which  needs  to  be  weighed. 


49 

The  early  congregations  in  this  region  are  known  to  have 
had  glebes.  The  earliest  bond  belonging  to  the  glebe  in  this 
congregation  is  dated  1723.  The  effort  to  establish  a  glebe 
in  St.  George's  was  made  in  1751.  and  it  was  divided  in 
1776  with  the  Forest  congregation,  or  between  those  above 
the  Drawyers  creek  and  those  below  it.  Thus  they  divided 
between  those  congregations  the  entire  field  of  this  congre- 
gation. The  Forest  congregation  is  known  to  have  purchased 
the  site  of  its  place  of  worship  in  1750.  That  new  con- 
gregation then,  many  of  the  members  of  which  are  known  to 
have  belonged  previously  to  this  congregation,  aided  St. 
George's  in  purchasing  its  glebe,  and  shared  in  the  partition 
in  proportion  to  their  contributions.  And  their  glebe  was 
purchased  at  least  28  years  after  that  in  Drawyers  congrega- 
tion was  begun. 

Our  last  reason  is  this  :  Christopher  Vandegrift,  an  elder  of 
St.  George's  church  was  born  in  1731,  and  died  June  8th, 
1816,  aged  85.  He,  of  course,  was  11  years  old  in  1742, 
the  year  in  which  Dr.  Reed  says  St.  George's  church  was 
organized.  Mr.  Vandegrift  stated  to  Rev.  Mr.  Latta  in 
1811,  that  Mr.  Robinson,  who  was  settled  in  1743  or  1744, 
was  the  first  pastor.  It  is  incredible  that  a  church  existed 
there  without  a  pastor  for  46  years. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Smyth,  the  Middletown  or  Forest 
congregation  called  Rev.  Mr.  Cheally,  who  was  exceedingly 
popular  in  the  pulpit,  but  a  misguided  and  immoral  man. 
During  his  ministry  the  congregation  declined,  and  its  glebe 
was  lost,  and  the  ruin  of  the  congregation  was  soon  com- 
pleted. 

Since  that  time,  it  was  supplied  by  Mr.  Burton  and  Mr. 
Wilson,  ministers  of  Drawyers.  After  the  removal  of  Mr. 
Wilson,  they  had  no  stated  preaching,  and  the  congregation 
is  now  extinct. 

5 


50 

The  Forest  church  was  composed  of  a  portion  of  the 
New  side  men,  who  withdrew  from  this  church  in  1742. 
They  seem  to  have  worshipped  at  St.  George's,  and  perhaps 
some  of  them  at  Back  Creek,  until  1750.  In  that  year 
Robert  Alexander  deeded  a  lot  to  Peter  Bayard,  James 
Bayard,  SJuyter  Bouchell,  Benjamin  Sluyter,  Wm.  Moore, 
John  Moody,  James  Shaw,  Thomas  Rothwell  and  John 
Vandyke,  Trustees  of  the  Forest  congregation,  called  the 
Presbyterian  congregation  of  Bohemia  and  Apoquinimy, 
under  the  care  of  the  Synod  of  New  York. 

-In  1789,  Peter  Hyatt,  Alexander  McMurphy,  John 
Moody,  Ephraim  Logue,  and  Wm.  Neilson  were  Trustees, 
and  in  1793,  John  Moody,  John  Vail,  Alexander  Stuart, 
Isaac  King  and  Jacob  Cazier. 

The  Bayards  resided  on  Bohemia  Manor.  The  old 
Mansion  House  stood  near  the  Ferry,  nearly  East  of  the 
house  of  Hon.  Louis  McLane.  The  family  vault  is  in  a 
locust  grove  in  the  rear  of  the  present  Bayard  mansion. 
In  that  vault,  are  deposited  also  the  remains  of  Richard 
Bassett,  a  former  govenor  of  Delaware.  The  door  of  the 
vault  is  the  tombstone  of  Herman.  It  has  been  removed 
from  the  grave  to  which  it  belongs,  and  placed  over  others. 
The  inscription  on  it  is  as  follows,  viz : 

AUGUSTINE  HERMAN,  BOHEMIAN, 

THE  FIRSF  FOUNDER  &, 

SEATER  OF  BOHEMIA  MANOR. 
ANNO.   1669. 

Herman  was  from  Bohemia.     He  settled  at  New  Castle. 
Prior  to  1664,  he  had  located  in  Maryland,  and  become 


51 

naturalized.    To  him  the  grant  of  Bohemia  Manor  was  made ,. 
This  manor  consisted  of  18,000  acres. 

Tradition  says  that  he  was  once  arrested  and  imprisoned 
by  the  Dutch  in  New  York,  and  condemned  to  die.  Shortly 
before  the  time  of  execution  he  seemed  partially  delirious, 
and  requested  that  his  favorite  horse  might  be  brought  into 
his  prison.  It  was  a  large  building  with  huge  windows  and 
doors,  and  the  windows  were  twenty  feet  from  the  ground. 
He  mounted  his  horse  caparisoned  in  his  usual  style  and 
pranced  about  within  the  prison.  Watching  his  opportunity, 
he  leaped  his  horse  from  the  window  of  the  prison,  swam 
the  Hudson  River,  ran  across  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  and 
dismounted  on  the  bank  of  the  Delaware  opposite  to  New 
Castle,  and  thus  made  his  escape. 

A  painting,  commemorative  of  this  daring  enterprize, 
destroyed  in  the  old  mansion  when  it  was  consumed  by  fire, 
represented  him  as  standing  by  the  side  of  his  -  horse,  still 
panting  and  ejecting  blood  from  his  nostrils. 

A  copy  of  this  painting,  is  said  to  be  still  in  existence. 
The  horse  he  never  suffered  to  be  used  afterwards,  and 
when  he  died,  he  caused  him  to  be  buried,  and  a  tombstone 
to  be  erected  over  his  grave. 

The  Presbyterian  church  near  Taylor's  Bridge,  was  pro- 
bably organized  within  this  field.  But  when  it  was  gathered, 
or  who  were  its  ministers,  or  what  is  its  history,  we  can  pro- 
bably never  ascertain.  While  Dr.  Read  was  Pastor  of  this 
people,  he  devoted  some  attention  to  that  church.  Its  house 
of  worship  was  standing  in  a  decayed  condition,  and  Mr. 
Burton  preached  in  it  occasionally,  in  1809.  No  remnant 
of  it,  except;the  tombstones,  now  remains. 

The  Presbyterian  church,  in  Port  Penn  was  organized, 
July  16th,  1837,  and  its  house  of  worship  was  erected  in 
1 835.   A  part  of  the  members*  who  were  originally  organized 


52 

there  as  a  church,  were  dismissed  from  this  church  for  that 
purpose.  Its  Elders  are  Samuel  Jefferson  and  William 
Cleaver,  Jr.,  and  it  has  hitherto  been  under  the  care  of  the 
Pastor  of  Drawyers.  Eighteen  members  united  in  its  or- 
ganization. Its  prosperity  has  been  very  gradual.  There 
are  now  24  members.  The  lot  on  which  its  house  of  wor- 
ship is  located,  was  deeded  to  John  M.  Woods,  John  H. 
Cannon  and  John  Price,  Trustees  of  the  congregation,  and 
was  presented  to  the  congregation  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Darrach. 

Whether  St.  Ann's  church,  or  Apoquinimy,  as  it  was 
anciently  called,  was  organized  before  this,  or  since,  we  are 
unable  to  decide.  That  people  were  sometimes  visited  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Sewell,  from  Maryland,  and  also  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Crawford,  who  was  appointed  Missionary  to  Dover,  in  1704. 
Prior  to  1705,  they  had  erected  a  house  of  worship.  In 
1707,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jenkins  was  located  in  that  congregation. 
He  was  a  devoted  Minister,  and  soon  gathered  around  him 
a  promising  church  and  congregation.  But  he  died  after  a 
few  years.  After  this,  that  people  were  visited  by  Rev. 
Messrs.  Biorck,  of  the  Swedes  church  on  the  Christina ; 
Club,  a  Missionary,  and  Ross  of  New  Castle.  Mr.  Ross 
was  the  father  of  George  Ross,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  Independence,  and  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Ad- 
miralty in  Pennsylvania.  The  society  in  London  for  propo- 
gatingthe  Gospel,  then  sent  Rev.  Mr.  Merry  to  Apoquinimy, 
who  soon  returned  to  England. 

They  then  sent  Rev.  Mr.  Campbell,  who,  afterwards  set- 
tled at  Brookhaven.  After  this,  they  sent  Rev.  Mr.  Hackett. 
He  was  buried  at  New  Castle  in  1734. 

The  inscription  on  his  tombstone  is  so  much  defaced  by 
age,  that  it  cannot  be  read.  We  have  been  able  to  decipher 
but  a  part  of  it,  viz  : 


c  ■ 


3 

u  Sub  hoc  eippo  conduntur  reliquae 
Reverendi  Uri  Gualteri  Hackett  qui  — 


Missionary  insignitus  Pastorium  Munus 

Apud  Appoquenomen -—  Quinquenium 

feliciter  exercuit." 

"  Under  this  monument  are  buried  the  remains  of  the  Rev. 
Uri  Walter  Hackett,  who  as  an  accredited  Missionary,  dis- 
charged the  pastoral  office  at  Appoquenomen  and  Quinque- 
nium." Quinquenium  is  supposed  to  be  the  original  name 
of  Sk  George's,  and  of  the  Welch  congregation  there.  We 
infer  this  from  the  fact,  that  under  Mr.  Jenkins,  this  Welch 
church  was  united  with  Apoquinimy  as  a  part  of  his  charge, 
and  probably  the  union  continued  under  Mr.  Hackett. 

In  1754,  Rev.  John  Pugh  was  Missionary  at  St.  Ann's. 
To  this  church  Queen  Ann  presented  a  covering  for  the 
communion-table  with  the  initials  of  her  name,  viz:  A.  R. 
(Anna  Regina,)  upon  it  in  silk  embroidery.  These  letters 
presented  by  Royal  hands  to  that  church,  I  here  exhibit 
before- you. 

In  1754,  Rev.  Philip  Reading  was  also  a  Missionary  to 
that  church.     He  died  in  1778,  aged  58  years. 

I  am  in  possession,  and  now  exhibit  to  you,, a  certificate 
of  marriage,  bearing  his  signature,  viz :  "These  are  to  certify 
to  whom  it  may  concern,  that  on  Monday  the  ninth  day  of 
December,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  Christ  one  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  fifty-four,  Mr.  Benjamin  Noxen,  of  New  Castle 
County,  on  Delawar,  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Harrison  Ward  of 
Cecil  County,  in  the  Province  of  Maryland,  were  joined 
together  in  holy  Matrimony;  and  that  the  said  marriage  was 
rightly  and  duly  solemnized  according  to  the  Institution  of 
the  church  of  England. 

Given  under  my  hand  the  day  and  year  above  written, 
Philip  Reading,  Missionary  at  Appoquiniminck. 

5* 


54 

The  present  house  of  worship  was  erected  about  the  year 
1776. 

The  Episcopal  church  at  St.  George's,  or  Quinquenium, 
stood  on  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  lime-kiln.  When  it 
was  founded  we  are  unable  to  decide.  The  congregation 
were  Welch, 

Rev.  Evan  Evans,  in  a  letter  dated  in  London  in  1707, 
says,  "  there  is  a  Welsh  settlement  between  Apoquinimy  and 
New  Castle,  to  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  George  Ross  has 
preached  frequently  in  the  English  tongue  since  his  arrival ; 
but  that  gentleman  not  understanding  their  native  language, 
is  not  so  capable  to  answer  the  end  as  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jenkins 
would  be,  who  is  going  missionary  to  Apoquinimy,  who  has 
a  competent  knowledge  of  the  Welsh  tongue."  No  other 
Episcopal  church  is  known  to  have  existed  between  St.  Ann's 
and  New  Castle.  Of  course,  this  church  had  existence 
prior  to  1707.  Twenty-five  acres  of  land  were  given  to  it 
by  Penn. 

Mr.  Evans  adds  :  "  there  is  a  large  fine  structure  built  for 
divine  service  at  New  Castle,  finished  within  and  without. 
Their  Minister  is  Rev.  George  Ross."  (Episcopal  Maga- 
zine, vol.  i.  p.  18,) 

Three  Methodist  churches  have  been  gathered  within  the 
field  of  this  congregation.  One  of  these  is  the  Asbury 
chapel,  on  Pearce's  Run,  anciently  called  Canoe  Branch, 
another  at  Cantwell's  Bridge,  and  a  third  at  Middletown. 

It  is  a  fact  which  ought  not  to  be  forgotten,  that  the  origi- 
nal settlement  at  Cape  May  was  made  by  a  colony,  who 
located  there  for  the  purpose  of  catching  whales  in  the  Dela- 
ware. The  first  Dutch  settlement  was  made  in  Sussex 
County,  under  the  direction  of  David  Pieterson  De  Vries, 
in  1630,  "for  the  purpose  of  cultivating  grain  and  tobacco, 
and  to  establish  a  Whale  and  Seal  fishery ." 


55 

Originally  the  quit  rents  of  the  lands  were  paid  to  the 
proprietors  in  grain  and  tobacco.  To  the  culture  of  tobacco 
undoubtedly,  the  exhaustion  of  the  soil  of  Delaware  may  be 
attributed. 

Nor  should  it  be  forgotten,  by  those  who  enjoy  the  im- 
provements of  the  present  day,  that  some  of  your  ancestors 
here,  were  accustomed  to  grind  their  grain  in  mills  turned 
by  the  hand.  Those  of  you  who  have  curiosity  enough  to 
examine,  will  find  one  of  these  stones  lying  at  the  West  door 
of  Mr.  James  Houston's  house,  and  another  on  Mr.  Charles 
Haughey's  place. 

The  recollection  that  your  ancestors  endured  all  the  hard- 
ships of  removing  the  forests  from  these  lands ;  that  they 
could  grind  their  grain  with  their  own  hands,  and  having  no 
carriages,  nor  even  waggons,  could  ride  on  horseback,  or 
walk  to  the  house  of  God  on  the  Sabbath  in  such  numbers 
that  it  became  necessary,  time  after  time,  to  enlarge  the  place 
of  worship,  is  adapted  strongly  to  rebuke  the  indolent  habits 
of  the  present  generation,  in  reference  to  public  worship. 
This  house,  in  the  time  of  Dr.  Read's  Ministry,  was  filled  to 
overflowing ;  and  the  Forest,  and  St.  George's  churches 
could  not  contain  the  people  who  resorted  thither. 

It  may  not  be  improper  to  subjoin  here  some  notices  of 
the  early  inhabitants  of  this  vicinity. 

In  1696,  Hans  Hanson  was  a  member  of  the  Court  of 
Quarter  Sessions. 

In  1697,  Thomas  Roth  well  bought  the  farm  on  which 
Mrs.  Boyd  now  resides.  This  farm  he  sold  in  1715  to 
Rev.  Robert  Wotherspoon,  then  minister  of  this  congregation, 
and  bought  "  Mayjield"  probably  where  William  Roth- 
well  now  resides,  in  1740.  Rev.  Timothy  Griffith  resided 
and  died  on  Mrs.  Boyd's  farm,  but  where  he  preached  is 
unknown. 


56 

In  1718,  John  Peterson,  Isaac  Vigorue,  Elias- Naudain, 
and  Thomas  Hyatt,  all  members  of  this  congregation,  were 
on  the  grand  inquest,  and  Hans  Hanson,  a  member  of  the 
Court  of  Quarter  Sessions. 

1719,  Garret  Dushane,  Valentine  Dushane,  Francis  King, 
and  Thomas  Rothwell  were  on  the  grand  inquest ;  and  An- 
drew Peterson,  a  member  of  this  congregation,  was;  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Court. 

1717,  Jacob  King  was  constable  of  St.  George's  Hun- 
dred, and  John  Peterson  was  on  the  grand  inquest.  Both 
of  these  belonged  to  this  congregation. 

1718,  Andrew  Vandyke,  a  member  of  this  church,  was 
constable,  and  also  John  McCool.  Francis  King,  an  eider  of 
this  church,  was  a  juror  in  17,19 « 

Samuel  Vance  was  here  in  1717.  Daniel  Corbit  in  171.8, 
Isaac  Vandyke  in  1720.  Samuel  Young  bought  Mr.  Bar- 
ney's farm  in  1720.  Christopher  and  John  Wilson  and  Ed- 
ward Jones  in  1720.     Th,e  Skare  family  were  here  in  L720. 

Abraham  Golden,  Senr.,  was  constable  in  1721.  Charles 
Robinson,  John  Golden,  Thos.  Hyatt,  Geffrey  Martin,  Wm. 
Whittit,  Alexander  Moody,  William  Robinson,  and  Thos. 
Williams  were  all  here  in  1721. 

Thomas  Janvier,,  the  ancestor  of  the  families  of  this  name 
in  this  country,  was  a  Huguenot,  and  was  in  this  county 
prior  to  1719. 

Elias  Walraven  settled  in  Apoquinimy  Hundred,  and  died 
previous  to  1745,  leaving,  four  children,  John,  Elias,  Su- 
sannah Barnet,  and  Elizabeth  Sigmund.  This  was  the  an- 
cestor of  the  Walravens,  who  have  been  connected  with  this 
congregation. 

Isaac  Gooding,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  land  in  Long 
Neck,  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  from  the  territories 


57 

in  1704.  Long  Neck  is  the  region  around  Geo.  Vande- 
grift's  farm. 

Few  of  the  sons  of  this  congregation  have  received  a 
liberal  education.  Yet  within  this  field,  some  have  arisen 
who  have  been  placed  high  in  office. 

Nicholas  Vandyke,  Esq.,  Governor  of  Delaware  in  1783, 

was  born  in  this  congregation  in  1740,  and  died  in  1789. — 

He  was   one  of  the  signers  of  the  Confederation  of  the 

States. 
Hon.  Nicholas  Vandyke,  son  of  Gov.  Vandyke,  was  born 

at  "  Berwick,"  in  Dutch  Neck,  in  1770.  He  graduated  at 
Princeton  college,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  soon 
acquired  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  lawyer,  and  a  man  of 
strict  integrity.  In  1799,  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature 
of  Delaware,  and  to  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  in  1809.  In  1815,  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  in  which  he  conti- 
nued till  his  death,  in  1826. 

Henry  Vandyke,  son  of  Gov.  Vandyke,  was  also  born 
at  Berwick,  and  was  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Navy.  He  fell  in 
a  duel,  and  was  buried  at  Gibraltar.  Gov.  Vandyke's  family 
attended  the  church  at  St.  George's,  and  also  at  Drawyers. 

Rev.  James  McCoy  was  raised  on  Skee  Merritt's  farm, 
within  the  bounds  of  this  congregation,  and  graduated  at 
Princeton  in  1785.  His  father  was  a  contributor  to  this 
church.  He  taught  in  the  academy  and  preached  to  the 
congregation  in  Church  Hill,  Queen  Ann's  county,  Mary- 
land, and  was  elected  professor  of  languages  in  Princeton 
college.  This  appointment  he  declined,  and  died  at  an 
early  age.     He  is  said  to  have  been  an  elegant  scholar. 

Hon.  Arnold  Naudain,  though  a  native  of  Kent  county, 
resided  here,  and  while  a  member  of  this  church,  was  elect- 
ed to  the  United  States  Senate.     He  was  a  graduate  of 


53 

Princeton  college,  and  physician.     His  ancestors  have  been 
connected  with  this  church  since  1717. 

Col.  Thomas  McDonough  was  a  physician.  He  held  a 
major's  commission  in  the  army,  in  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, but  soon  returned  to  his  medical  profession.  At  the 
close  of  the  war,  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  court,  and 
continued  in  this  office  till  his  death,  in  1795.  He  was  bu- 
ried on  the  farm  of  Mr.  John  Janvier,  at  the  Trap,  where  he 
also  lived. 

Commodore  Thomas  McDonough,  son  of  Major  McDo- 
nough, was  born  near  the  Trap.  His  name  will  long  be 
cherished  by  his  countrymen,  as  the  hero  of  Champlain, 
immortalized  by  the  capture  of  the  entire  British  fleet  on 
that  lake,  in  1814, — the  second  event  of  the  kind,  record- 
ed in  history. — The  McDonoughs  generally  attended  the 
Episcopal  church. 

James  McDonough,  also  a  son  of  Major  McDonough,  was 
a  midshipman  in  the  Navy  under  Commodore  Truxton.  In 
the  action  which  resulted  in  t(ie  capture  of  the  frigate  L'ln- 
surgent,  he  was  wounded,  and  suffered  the  amputation  of  a 
leg.     He  soon  after  left  the  Navy 

William  C,  Frazer  was  the  son  of  a  member  of  this 
church,  and  a  trustee  of  this  congregation.  He  graduated 
at  Princeton  college  in  1797,  and  was  afterwards  Judge  of 
the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  in  Wisconsin,  where 
he  recently  died. 

Robert  Haughey  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which 
adopted  the  constitution  of  Delaware. 

Rev.  George  Janvier,  Pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
in  Pittsgrove,  New  Jersey,  was  the  son  of  an  elder  of  this 
church. 

Dr.  Thomas  Boyd,  a  surgeon  in  the  United  States  Navy, 
was  the  son  of  an  elder  of  this  church,  and  grandson  of  one 


59 

of  its  pastors.    He  was  eminent  in  his  profession,  and  died 
much  lamented  by  the  officers  in  the  Navy. 

Dr.  James  S.  Naudain,  a  practitioner  of  medicine  and  a 
member  of  this  church,  was  graduated  at  the  Military  Aca- 
demy at  West  Point. 

John  Janvier.  Jr.,  now  a  member  of  the  Theological  Se- 
minary at  Princeton,  graduated  at  Princeton  in  1840. 

This  congregation  also  furnished  its  portion  of  talent  and 
of  effort  in  securing  our  Independence. 

Col.  Henry  Foster  had  a  commission  in  the  army.  His 
wife  was  Rachel  Vandyke.  He  was  a  contributor  to  the 
building  of  this  house.  He  resided  in  Port  Penn,  in  the 
house  now  occupied  by  William  Cleaver,  Senr.,  which  is  said 
to  have  been  built  by  Count  Pulaski. 

Capt.  Smith  also  held  a  commission  in  the  army.  He 
lived  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  John  Dale.  John  Vance 
Hyatt  also  held  a  Lieutenant's  commission.  He  was  after- 
wards an  elder  of  this  church. 

He  was  captured  by  the  British  on  his  father's  farm, 
now  in  the  possession  of  Jacob  Vandegrift,  Jr.,  and  car- 
ried to  New  York.  While  a  prisoner,  he  was  kept  on  Long 
Island,  and  was  accustomed  to  do  various  kinds  of  labor  to 
supply  himself  with  pocket  money.  He  purchased  a  suit 
of  small  clothes  of  white  cassimere,  which,  though  no  tail- 
or, he  cut  and  made  himself.  At  his  death  in  1 806,  he  was 
laid  out  in  that  very  suit  which  he  had  thus  made.  He  was 
a  magistrate  in  1785  and  1786. 

Lieutenant  Richard  Wilds,  resided  in  the  brick-house 
now  owned  by  Mrs.  Darrach,  in  Port  Penn.  He  was 
wounded  in  the  battle  of  Germantown,  in  October,  1777, 
and  was  carried  home  on  a  litter.  He  died  in  Port  Penn, 
in  1786,  in  consequence  of  the  wound  which  he  had  re- 
ceived.    He  was  buried  in  St.  George's  church-yard. 


GO 

Captain  Kirkwood  was  a  veteran  of  the  Revolution.  He 
early  entered  the  service,  and  remained  in  it  till  the  close 
of  the  war.  The  Delaware  regiment  was  raised,  and  mus- 
tered at  Dover  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
made,  and  was  put  under  the  command  of  Col.  Haslet.  In 
this  regiment,  Kirkwood  held  a  Captain's  commission. 
Within  three  weeks  after  the  declaration,  this  Regiment  was 
in  the  battle'  at  Trenton,  on  the  25th  December,  177G. 
January  3d,  1777,  they  were  in  the  battle  at  Princeton, 
where  Haslet  was  killed. 

The  command  of  the  Delaware  Regiment,  then  devolved 
on  Lieutenant-Colonel  Vaughan.  On  the  11th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1777,  the  Delaware  troops  were  engaged  in  the  disas- 
trous battle  of  Brandywine,  and  in  October  following,  in  the 
battle  of  Germantown.  In  1778  and  1779,  they  were  actively 
engaged  in  the  middle  states.  In  1780,  they  were  ordered  to 
Charleston.  In  the  battle  at  Camden,  they  were  in  the 
front  division,  under  the  command  of  Baron  DeKalb.  The 
Marylanders  and  the  Delaware  regiment,  maintained  their 
position  with  noble  intrepidity  until  the  retreat  was  ordered, 
undismayed  by  the  conduct  of  the  panick-stricken  militia  of 
Virginia,  and  North  Carolina.  Col.  Vaughan,  and  Major 
Patton  were  killed,  and  the  Delaware  regiment  reduced  to 
less  than  two  companies.  This  shattered  remnant  was  put 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Kirkwood,  who  commanded 
it  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  also  in  the  battle  at 
Guilford  Court  House,  at  Waxhaw,  and  also  at  the  Fort  of 
"  Ninety  Six."  Wherever  dangers  thickened,  or  bravery 
invincible  was  demanded,  there  Kirkwood  and  his  Delawares 
were  always  stationed.  At  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  Capt. 
Wm.  Clark,  father  of  the  late  Governor  Clark,  commanded 
a  company  of  75  men,  raised  principally  between  Smyrna 


61 

and  Cantwell's  Bridge.     At  the  close  of  the  battle,  45  of 
these  brave  men  were  among  the  slain. 

Captain  Clark  resided  in  Apoquinimy  hundred,  and  was 
the  great  grand-father  of  Mrs.  A.  Snow  Naudain,  and 
Mrs.  Anthony  Higgins. 

Kirkwood  was  engaged  in  thirty-two  battles  during  the 
Revolution.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  returned  and 
established  himself  in  mercantile  business,  at  Cantwell's 
Bridge,  and  occupied  the  house  now  standing  east  of  the  old 
Tavern  House.  In  1785,  he  removed  and  established  a 
store  at  St.  George's.  Afterwards,  he  removed  his  family 
to  Ohio.  When  the  army  was  organized  under  General  St, 
Clair,  to  march  against  the  North  western  Indians,  he 
volunteered  his  services,  and  Gen.  Washington  gave  him  a 
Captain's  commission,  expressing  at  the  same  time  his  regret 
that  he  could  not  promote  him,  because  all  the  higher  offices 
were  already  filled. 

The  army  marched  to  Ohio,  and  cut  their  way  through 
the  swamps  and  woods  along  the  course  of  the  great  Miami, 
They  encamped  at  Ludlow's  Station  for  two  weeks.  This 
station  is  six  miles  from  Cincinnati.  There  w?as  a  tree  on 
that  spot,  with  the  fact  and  date  of  this  encampment  carved 
on  the  bark,  which  the  writer  saw  standing  in  1837.  After 
marching  ninety-eight  miles  into  the  wilderness,  they  were 
attacked  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  November,  179 J,  by 
the  Indians,  and  that  dreadful  battle,  which  resulted  in  St. 
Clair's  defeat,  was  fought.  Of  the  distressing  scenes  in 
this  defeat,  Lieutenant  Michael  McDonough  in  an  original 
letter  now  before  me  says,  "  We  left  every  thing  behind  ; 
eight  pieces  of  cannon,  cattle,  horses,  flour,  officers  and 
soldiers,  baggage,  officers'  private  property  in  cash,  supposed 
to  be  ten  thousand  pounds,  besides  all  their  clothing.  We 
retreated  day  and  night  for  this  place,  without  provision, 

6 


62 

which  is  ninety-eight  miles,  and  arrived  at  this  place  on  the 
8th  instant.  The  number  of  non-commissioned  officers, 
musicians,  and  privates  that  fell  in  the  field  is  upwards  of  six 
hundred.  More  than  sixty  women  were  killed,  and  I  saw 
some  of  them  cut  in  two,  their  breasts  cut  off  and  burning, 
with  a  number  of  officers,  on  our  own  fires,  before  I  left  the 

field  of  action.    I  saw  Captain  Smith  sitting just  after  he 

was  scalped,  his  head  smoking  like  a  chimney.  Some 
soldiers  have  come  in  with  all  the  skin  and  hair  taken  clean 
off  their  heads."  The  regiment  to  which  Kirk  wood  and 
McDonough  belonged,  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  commissioned,  non-commissioned  officers,  and  privates, 
one  hundred  and  eleven  only  of  whom  were  left  after  the 
battle,  and  forty-two  of  these  were  wounded.  But  two  offi- 
cers, McDonough  and  Bissell,  survived.  "  Out  of  1,200, 
near  S00  officers,  men,  and  women  were  killed  and  wound- 
ed." In  this  terrible  battle  Kirkwood  fell.  This  was  the 
thirty-third,  in  which  he  was  engaged.  Yet  from  the  or- 
ganization of  the  army,  he  could  not  be  promoted,  because 
he  had  the  remnant  of  the  entire  regiment  under  his  com- 
mand. He  lived  and  died  the  brave,  unrewarded  Captain 
Kirkwood.  Lieutenant  Michael  McDonough,  was  born  in 
St.  George's  Hundred. 

Mrs.  Read  of  Port  Penn,  now  ninety-two  years  old,  re- 
sides in  the  house  which  she  occupied  in  1776.  Through 
her  house  the  British  ship  Roe-buck  threw  a  twelve 
pound  ball,  which  passed  through  the  chimney.  The  ball 
is  still  in  her  possession.  Her  first  husband,  Dr.  Stanley, 
was  a  surgeon  in  the  army,  and  brother  to  Mrs.  Dr.  Read, 
and  to  the  wife  of  Gov.  Vandyke. 

Commodore  Thomas  Brown,was  a  son  of  Alex.  Brown, 
and  nephew  of  Andrew  Brown,  who  was  one  of  the  build- 
ing committee  of  this  church.  He  was  born  in  the  stone 
house,  at  Cautwell's  Bridge,  was  great  grandson  of  Peter 


63 

Chevalier,  who  was  a  Huguenot,  and  a  nephew  of  Dr. 
Read,  pastor  of  this  church.  He  was  early  in  the  service 
of  his  country.  He  was  at  the  siege  of  Tripoli,  where 
he.  was  wounded;  was  a  Lieutenant,  and  commanded  the 
Gov.  Tompkins,  and  afterwards  the  Oneida,  in  the  fleet  un- 
der Com.  Chauncey,  on  Lake  Ontario,  during  the  late 
war ;  and  made  a  Post  Captain  at  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  was  left  in  command  of  the  fleet  in  the  Mediterranean, 
The  last  time  he  wore  his  uniform  was  in  New  York,  as 
pall  bearer  at  the  interment  of  Commodore  McDonough,* 
who  was  born  about  two  miles  distant  from  the  birth-place  of 
Commodore  Brown. 

William  McKennan,  a  trustee  of  this  congregation  in 
1790,  held  a  Captain's  commission  in  the  Delaware  regi- 
gent.  From  Kirkwood's  letter  to  his  father,  it  appears  that 
Capt.  McKennan,  was  with  Kirkwood  and  the  Delaware  regi- 
ment, in  New  Jersey,  in  1777. 

His  wrife  was  Elizabeth  Thompson,  daughter  of  John 
Thompson,  Esq.,  of  New  Castle,  first  Judge  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas.  Judge  Thompson  married  a  sister  of 
Gov.  McKean,  of  Pennsylvania. 

Thomas  McKean  McKennan,  son  of  Capt.  Wm.  McKen- 
nan, formerly  a  representative  in  Congress,  and  recently 
elected  again  to  the  same  office,  was  born  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Lewis  Vandegrift. 

Rev.  James  McKennan,  son  of  Capt.  McKennan,  is  also 
supposed  to  have  been  born  on  the  same  spot.  Thomas  B. 
McKean,  a  merchant,  of  Bordentown,  New  Jersey,  was  a 
son  of  William  McKean,  and  born  in  this  vicinitv. 

John  McKinley,  Esq.,  Governor  of  Delaware,  who  was 
captured  by  the  British,  in  his  own  house,  in  Wilmington,  in 

*  I  have  lately  conversed  with  the  Chaplain  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  who  attended  Commodore  McDonough  in  his  last  moments,  who 
assured  me  that  he  died  a  Christian. 


9 


64 

1777,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  son  of  an  elder  of  this 
church.  He  seems  to  have  been  connected  with  the  McKen- 
nan  family,  as  he  willed  property  to  Rev.  William  McKen- 
nan,  who  occasionally  supplied  this  congregation. 

The  name  of  Thomas  McKean,  Esq.,  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania, is  found  on  our  records,  in  the  year  1772.  Whe- 
ther he  resided  here  in  that  year,  it  is  impossible  to  decide. 
He  was  connected  with  many  of  the  families  in  this  congre- 
gation, and  he  also  owned  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Cantwell's 
Bridge.  He  was  one  of  the  committee  to  collect  the  sub- 
scription for  the  erection  of  this  house  of  worship.  He 
was  the  son  of  William  McKean,  of  New  London  Cross 
Roads,  who  removed  from  Pennsylvania  after  the  death  of 
his  wife,  in  1742,  and  resided  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Samuel 
Young,  who  owned  the  farm  on  which  Mr.  Barney  now  re- 
sides. He  died  in  1769-,  and  was  buried  at  New  London 
Cross  Roads. 

William  McKean,  the  brother  of  Governor  McKean,  re- 
sided here.     He  married  Mrs.  O'Hara. 

/Mary  O'Hara,  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  O'Hara,  married  Capt. 
Wm.  Frazer,  and  lies  in  the  family  burying-place  at  the  north 
east  corner   of  this  house.      She  was  the  step-mother  of 
Judge  Frazer,  and  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Wilson,  wife  of  Rev. 
James  P.   Wilson,  of   Neshamony,   Pennsylvania,    who  is 
said  to  have  been  exceedingly  intelligent,  beautiful  and  lovely. 
Laetitia  McKean,  daughter  of  William  McKean,  married 
Rev.  John  Thompson,  son  of  Judge  Thompson,  who  died 
in  New  Castle,  at  the  age  of  27.     She  afterwards  married 
a  Mr.  Clark,  a  limner,  and   lived  on   the  farm  of  Robert 
Cochran.     Thomas  McKean  Thompson,  a  nephew  of  Gov. 
McKean,  and  of  William  McKean,  was  Secretary  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  and  now  resides  in  Gran- 
ville, Ohio. 

The  ancient  field  of  this  congregation,  however,  is  not 


\ 


65 

entitled  to  claim  all  the  heroes  and  worthies  of  this  region. 
Commodore  Porter  was  educated  in  this  State.  His  fa- 
ther's residence  was  near  Pencader,  a  few  miles  beyond 
the  boundaries  of  this  congregation.  He  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton, while  his  mother  was  in  that  city  on  a  visit  to  his. father, 
Capt.  Porter,  who  had  entered  that  port  on  his  return  from 
a  cruise  on  the  ocean. 

Commodore  Jacob  Jones,  was  born  at  Smyrna,  a  few 
miles  below  the  southern  boundary  of  this,  congregation.— - 
No  State  in  the  Union  has  produced  as  many  eminent  pa- 
triots and  statesmen,  in  proportion  to  its  population,  as  Dela- 
ware ;  and  a  large  proportion  of  its  clergymen  have  risen 
to  eminence.  Delaware  furnished  5000  officers  and  soldiers 
during  the  American  Revolution,  of  whom  but  one  out  of  a 
hundred  ever  returned. — "  The  Blue  Hen's  Chickens," 
as  the  Delaware  regiment  were  called,  bravely  met  danger 
and  death,  in  defence  of  their  country,.. 

During  the  administration  of  Andrew  Jackson,  five  of  the 
sons  of  Delaware  were  foreign  ministers,  viz  :  McLane, 
Moore,  E.  P.  West,  J.  Ham,  and  Commodore  Porter,  the 
latter  of  whom,  is  still  minister  to  Constantinople. 

During  the  winter  past,  God  has  poured  his  spirit  on  this 
congregation,  and  led  some  to  hope  that  they  have  been  re- 
conciled to  him.  Twelve  of  these  have  already  united 
with  this  church. 

The  number  of  communicants  nowr  in  this  church  is 
eighty-two.  May  it  be  our  constant  prayer  that  this  an- 
cient congregation  may  enjoy  the  favor  of  God,  and  that  this 
field  may  blossom  as  the  rose,  and  nourish  as  the  cedars  of 
Lebanon. 

It  was  my  original  design  to  trace  out  the  location  of  the 
families  belonging  to  this  congregation,  with  the  entire  gene- 
alogy of  this  people.     But  the  changes  which  have  occurred 


G6 

and  the  imperfection  of  the  records,  render  it  impracticable. 
Many  families  of  substantial  worth  in  every  community  hold 
no  real  estate,  and  the  records  of  the  county  afford  us  no 
notice  of  such.  I  have  done  what  I  could,  to  embody  and 
preserve  your  history. 

From  this  review  of  the  history  of  this  congregation,  it 
is  manifest  that  great  changes  have  occurred.  The  forests 
have  disappeared ;  the  wildness  of  an  unsubdued  country 
no  longer  meets  the  eye ;  but  fields  clothed  with  beauty  un- 
surpassed by  any  portion  of  country,  surround  you.  The 
spirit  of  improvement  has  gathered  around  you  the  institu- 
tions and  comforts  and  even  the  luxuries  of  society.  The 
waves  of  intemperance,  which  had  swept  over  this  region, 
withering  as  the  gales  of  the  desert,  have  almost  ceased  to 
flow,  and  the  spirit  of  industry  is  rapidly  making  it  the  very 
garden  of  America. 

We  also  find  that  many  families  have  abandoned  the 
sanctuary,  the  institutions  and  the  faith  of  their  forefathers, 
and  even  the  principles  of  the  Reformation,  on  which  the 
liberties  of  our  country  and  the  world  are  based.  Did  time 
permit,  we  might  show  that  the  principles  embraced  by  this 
church,  in  common  with  others,  then  on  this  field,  have  led 
their  sons  to  endure  toil  and  privation,  and  even  to  shed 
their  blood  in  defence  of  our  liberties,  and  in  the  establish- 
ment of  our  independence,  while  in  another  quarter  the  cause 
of  liberty  was  basely  deserted. 

Would  those  whose  views  and  sympathies  are  with  this 

congregation,  make  it  a  matter  of  conscience  to  be  found  in 

.their  place  in  the  Sanctuary  on  the  Sabbath-day,  the  former 

prosperity  of  this  congregation  in  its  best  days  would  be 

realized  in  a  solitary  month. 

To  God,  and  to  society  around  shall  we  be  held  respon- 
sible, if  we  neglect  to  do  this. 


67 

How  solemn  and  affecting  the  lesson  which  these  limited 
details  of  your  history  afford!  How  much  effort  has  been 
made,  and  how  many  toils  and  trials  have  been  endured  in 
order  to  perpetuate  the  church  of  God  with  its  privileges  on 
this  spot !  And  how  will  those  fathers  who  bequeathed  to  us 
this  edifice,  these  funds,  and  these  fields  cry  out  against  us 
at  the  final  day,  if  we  fail  to  improve  the  means  of  life 
afforded  us?  As  you  look  back  and  see  how  death  has  tra- 
versed this  field  and  consigned  its  former  inhabitants  to  the 
silent  tomb  :  as  you  see  how  the  grave  has  spread  the  waves 
of  oblivion  over  their  memory  and  their  very  names,  how 
worthless  does  this  world  appear  !  You  may  live  now  in  ease 
and  in  pleasure.  You  may  gratify  your  love  of  wealth,  of 
equipage,  and  your  pride,  for  a  short  period.  But  ah! 
how  silent  and  unknown  hereafter. 

In  making  these  investigations,  I  had  occasion  to  visit  the 
grave  of  a  former  Governor  of  this  State.  The  family 
grave-yard  lay  unenclosed  in  the  field,  and  overgrown  with 
briars.  The  tombstone  erected  by  a  surviving  daughter  as 
a  token  of  affectionate  remembrance  of  her  father,  the 
governor  of  this  State,  of  her  mother,  and  of  a  brother  who 
died  far  hence  a  Lieutenant  in  the  Navy,  had  fallen  from 
the  mouldered  pillars  of  masonry  on  which  it  rested.  I  in- 
quired of  the  occupant  of  the  spot  whether  there  was  any 
other  burying-place  in  the  vicinity.  He  told  me  that  in  dig- 
ging to  set  posts  in  his  barn-yard  a  few  rods  distant  from  the 
family  ground  above  described,  he  discovered  human  bones. 
This,  ah  this,  is  the  end  of  man's  career!  His  possessions 
will  pass  to  others.  His  pride  will  be  extinguished  ;  his 
equipage  will  all  vanish  away;  his  very  name  will  perish ;  and 
the  brambles  will  flourish,  and  the  reptiles  will  crawl  over 
him;  the  oxen  of  the  stall  will  feed  and  lie  down  upon  his 
grave,  and  will  know  just  as  much  of  his  history,  after  a  few 


iS 


*» 


years  are  gone,  as  the  living  of  the  human  family  to  which  he 
belonged. 

I  visited  the  site  of  an  ancient  church  in  this  vicinity  for  a 
similar  purpose.  Not  a  stone,  nor  mound  remained.  The 
living  had  removed  the  earth  from  a  portion  of  the  grave- 
yard. Glowing  lime  kilns  stand  where  once  the  afflicted 
father,  the  heart-broken  mother,  the  affectionate  child,  com- 
mitted their  dead  to  the  dust,  as  a  sure  retreat  from  the  mo- 
lestations of  earth.  I  lingered  on  this  field  of  desolation  in 
search  of  some  memorial  of  the  dead.  At  length  I  discovered 
a  skull,  and  other  bones  which  had  fallen  from  their  resting 
place;  while  from  the  earth  above  me  a  bone  here  protruded 
from  its  grave,  and  another  there. 

Ah !  this  is  all  for  which  man  can  hope :  the  grave,  the 
coffin,  and  the  winding-sheet,  while  those  who  succeed  you 
plow  your  bones  from  your  graves,  and  leave  them  to  bleach 
amidst  the  heat  and  storms  of  heaven.  Oh  !  if  there  is  not 
an  hereafter,  then  men  were  made  in  vain.  "  Like  brutes 
they  live:  like  brutes  they  die." 

While,  therefore,  God  permits  us  to  enjoy  this  sanctuary 
and  its  privileges,  let  us  remember  that, 

«  Man  wants  but  little  here  below, 
Nor  wants  that  little  long," 

and  strive  to  improve  the  privileges  allotted  us,  in  such  a 
manner,  that  whether  our  names  be  blazoned  on  the  historic 
page,  or  carved  on  the  marble,  or  utterly  perish,  our  influ- 
ence may  long  survive  us,  and  our  record  may  be  on  high: 
and  that  when  the  great  arbiter  of  human  affairs  shall  come, 
we  may  hear  him  say  to  us,  "  come  ye  blessed  of  my  Father, 
inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world." 


y 


f 


